Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in New York hush-money criminal case

Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, posted on social media that the gag order issued on Tuesday was “illegal, un-American, unConstitutional”.

Donald Trump lashed out on Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order ahead of his April 15 hush-money criminal trial, suggesting without evidence that the veteran jurist was kowtowing to his daughter's interests as a Democratic political consultant.

The former president objected in particular to what he said was her specious social media photo showing him behind bars.

Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, posted on social media that the gag order issued on Tuesday was “illegal, un-American, unConstitutional".

Mr. Trump said Judge Juan M. Merchan was “wrongfully attempting to deprive me of my First Amendment Right to speak out against the Weaponisation of Law Enforcement” by Democratic rivals and urged him to step aside from the case.

The gag order, which was requested by the prosecution, bars Mr. Trump from either making or directing other people to make public statements on his behalf about jurors and potential witnesses in the hush-money trial, such as his lawyer turned nemesis Michael Cohen and porn star Stormy Daniels. It also prohibits any statements meant to interfere with or harass the court's staff, prosecution team or their families.

It does not bar comments about Merchan or his family, nor does it prohibit criticism of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the elected Democrat whose office is prosecuting Trump.