Donald Trump could be the king of yap city. The man has an irrepressible compulsion to run his mouth at every opportunity, even when doing so is to his own detriment. One day we’ll have to study his brain ⏤ assuming he does have one, of course.
Throughout his presidency, and in the years since, Trump has become known for posting an insane amount of tweets to what used to be Twitter. He treated the platform like it was his own personal diary, with every single thought creeping into his vacant skull spilling over to the internet like the messy stream of consciousness no one asked for. If you’re ever in need of a good chuckle, check out his old tweets and posts on Truth Social ⏤ just be careful not to catch Trump Derangement Syndrome while you’re at it.
While the running of Trump’s mouth can be cause for entertainment (though certainly not celebration), he’s been with hit with a gag order that he’s ⏤ shocker! ⏤ totally ignored. As annoying as his above-the-law behavior is, could said gag order ultimately be what shuts him up for good?
The gag order, explained
Trump’s gag order is essentially a legal order from the court that prevents him from commenting publicly on the goings-on of his active hush money trial. The order stops him from making statements about witnesses, jurors, the prosecutors, courtroom staff, and anyone related to those involved in the trial. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop him from talking full stop. The order was imposed back on March 25, but the trial only began on April 15. The rules are crystal clear, meaning anything that happens in that courtroom is not to be discussed publicly by the former president, but that hasn’t stopped Trump from mouthing off anyway. Or publicly sharting, for that matter.
Why was the gag order imposed?
There’s a valid reason for the existence of the order: Trump’s case is high-profile, and not only does it keep the jury and anyone else’s identities protected, but it also prevents any kind of interference with the case. We’ve already seen one instance of a juror dropping out after Fox News practically exposed their identity on air. Trump’s words, and the words of his followers, are a threat to the safety of those involved, especially when his language towards individuals like Michael Cohen is so inflammatory.
The conditions of the order are pretty clear; however, the annoying orange can’t be bothered to follow even basic instructions. CNN reported on a hearing held on Tuesday, April 24 to determine whether Trump violated the order in his social media posts blasting the jury, liberals, Michael Cohen, and Stormy Daniels. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that yes, it counts as violating the order, but let’s wait and see what the officials think.
Could the gag order shut Trump up for good?
So far the gag order is clearly failing, as Donald isn’t even trying to follow it despite his lawyers insisting that he is. It’s difficult to threaten someone like Trump when the only consequence for breaching the order is a $1,000 fine for each violation; of which, so far there have been 10. $10,000 might be a lot to you or I, but to someone like Trump, that’s pocket change. It’s not really giving him a good reason to stop, and at this rate I reckon Trump will just continue to run his mouth and take the minuscule hit to his finances every time, even despite being unable ⏤ or perhaps unwilling ⏤ to tip McDonald’s workers after ordering over $500 worth of food during a recent lunch break.
The businessman is fully aware of the situation he’s in, but like a toddler testing his parents’ limits, he keeps acting out. We’ve already seen him throw countless temper tantrums about how he should have presidential immunity, so it’s obvious that he still believes, and will likely always believe, that he’s above the rest of us plebeians. But don’t worry ⏤ hope remains. According to CNN, the idea of Trump going to prison for contempt of court ⏤ and therefore shutting up forever ⏤ isn’t entirely out of the question.
The fact is, while the gag order isn’t a current worry for Trump, if he eventually thinks there’s a real possibility of going to prison for violating it ⏤ let’s say, if the judge finally gives him a slap on the wrist for each violation ⏤ that might finally get him to quit his yammering. And if he’s found guilty of one or even multiple crimes and faces actual jail time, he sadly won’t be able to bring his cell phone with him. On the bright side, there should be plenty of diapers in the prison commissary, and with Trump being a self-admitted billionaire, he’ll be able to pick a fresh one up whenever he wants.
