Donald Trump was found to be in contempt of court on April 30th for violating his gag order, but what does this mean for the ex-president? Can we expect to see the orange fiend behind bars for the offense?
Currently, Trump is in the middle of a battle on multiple fronts, and his big mouth and even bigger ego are not really helping him win over the judge. A gag order was put in place to prevent the businessman from talking publicly about the ongoing case; this was done to protect the identities of those in the jury, as well as staff in the court. Despite this, Trump has continued to post drivel on his Twitter knock-off: Truth Social. He was found to be guilty of breaching the gag order on multiple separate occasions.
Will Trump go to jail for repeatedly violating the gag order?
Once is bad enough, but to do it multiple times, surely you’d expect a pretty heavy punishment for that, right? Well, Trump was charged a fine of $1,000 for each offense meaning he had to pay a grand total of $9,000 for the violation. Not exactly breaking the bank for someone like him. On May 6, it was reported by CNN that Diaper Don had been found guilty of contempt of court a tenth time so clearly he’s not taking the gag order seriously.
Judge Juan Merchan is aware that the fines will do nothing to deter the man with the “beautiful blue eyes,” and so the threat of jail if he continues to transgress is (hopefully) a real one. According to CNN, Merchan stated that “going forward this court will have to consider a jail sanction.”
The idea of jail time for any more future violations is something that’s been thrown around a few times now, and it could be the only thing to successfully get the message through Donald’s thick skull. But realistically, could this happen?
Well, it seems that even the “Art of the Deal” couldn’t save Trump from the long arm of the law this time. On May 30, 2024, the New York jury found him guilty on all 34 charges. The jury, consisting of seven men and five women, deliberated for over 11 hours across two days before reaching their decision. Trump was poker-faced when the verdict dropped, while his son Eric looked like he was about ready to blow a gasket. Not a great day for family photos, that’s for sure.
Judge Juan Merchan swiftly scheduled Trump’s sentencing for July 11, and the seriousness of the charges could lead to a range of penalties. The law allows for anything from no prison time at all to up to four years. Trump is currently entangled in three additional criminal cases, which could further complicate his situation. At this rate, he might need to build his own personal prison to accommodate all the potential sentences.
Judge Merchan seems pretty done with Donald’s BS, so maybe they’re underestimating his determination to make him serve some time.