Case of the Mondays: Trump starts week with Truth Social rant attacking Manhattan judge, prosecutor

Trump logged onto Truth Social for a rant against President Biden and others he claims are persecuting him

Published April 15, 2024 10:36AM (EDT)

In this photo illustration, a Truth Social logo is displayed on a smartphone with Truth Social Donald Trump Account in the background. (Photo Illustration by Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
In this photo illustration, a Truth Social logo is displayed on a smartphone with Truth Social Donald Trump Account in the background. (Photo Illustration by Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

With the jury selection process beginning in Donald Trump's hush-money trial, the former president stormed on to Truth Social with a rant that targeted an assortment of people that he believes are unfairly persecuting him.

"Just four years ago I was a very popular and successful President of the United States, getting more votes than any sitting President in history," Trump wrote Sunday evening. "Tomorrow morning I'll be in Criminal Court, before a totally conflicted Judge, a Corrupt Prosecutor, a Legal System in CHAOS, a State being overrun by violent crime and corruption, and crooked Joe Biden's henchmen 'Rigging the System' against his Political Opponent, ME!"

While a gag order prohibits Trump from making public statements about jurors, likely witnesses, court staff, and the relatives of both Judge Juan Merchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, neither Merchan nor Bragg are themselves included in the order. Bragg has charged Trump with 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records in order to hide $130,000 worth of hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who claims that Trump cornered her in a hotel room before the two had sex. The former president has denied the allegation.

On Monday morning, Trump continued his Truth Social tirade, making four additional posts that called the trial a "Biden Manhattan Witch Hunt Case," accused "Radical Left Democrats" of cheating in the 2024 election by supposedly directing his prosecution.

Trump's lawyers tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to delay the trial last week, claiming that the presiding judge had a conflict of interest and trying to move the trial somewhere else due to pretrial publicity in Manhattan.


MORE FROM Nicholas Liu