Former President Donald Trump has been slapped with a $5,000 fine by New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron for his failure to promptly remove a social media post that disparaged

one of his staff members. The judge's decision serves as a stark example of the punitive actions that judges could take against Trump, even before he faces convictions or liabilities in the numerous civil and criminal trials that loom over him.

Justice Engoron's order, issued on October 3, explicitly instructed Trump not to make derogatory remarks about his staff and demanded the deletion of a post that depicted his clerk, Allison Greenfield, alongside Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, while making unfounded allegations about their relationship. Despite the directive, the post remained visible for an extended period.

In response to Trump's violation, Justice Engoron delivered a stern message, stating, "Make no mistake: future violations, whether intentional or unintentional, will subject the violator to far more severe sanctions, which may include, but are not limited to, steeper financial penalties, holding Donald Trump in contempt of court, and possibly imprisoning him."

This episode highlights the potential for judges to penalize Trump even before the outcomes of the various civil and criminal cases pending against him are determined. In a related matter, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has similarly ordered Trump not to make disparaging comments about prosecutors, court personnel, or witnesses in his federal trial related to charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election.

In a separate development, Trump has sought to have Judge Chutkan's order suspended while he pursues an appeal of her decision. Trump's legal team argued that "No Court in American history has imposed a gag order on a criminal defendant who is campaigning for public office − least of all, on the leading candidate for President of the United States."

Judge Engoron firmly rebuked Truth Social, the platform that maintained the contentious post, deeming it a "blatant violation" of his carefully outlined gag order. He also underscored the gravity of unfounded allegations, highlighting that they can result in real harm, both physical and otherwise. Engoron asserted his willingness to consider more severe sanctions or even imprisonment for Trump should he fail to provide a convincing explanation.

Although Trump was not present in court on Friday, the post in question was eventually removed late Thursday. Before its removal, the former president's campaign circulated it as an email to his supporters. Christopher Kise, one of Trump's lawyers, explained that the email was dispatched to approximately 25,800 recipients, with roughly 6,700 opening it. Additionally, about 3,700 individuals viewed the post on Trump's campaign website. Kise emphasized that this was an inadvertent occurrence and conveyed an apology on behalf of his client, noting that the post was promptly removed once the court requested it. Photo by Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia commons.