“Engoron Is Totally Unhinged”: New York Judge Loses Composure, Issues Threat of Imprisonment for Trump

Michelle HollandNov 2, 2023

Minute Read

Judge Arthur Engoron has threatened to jail former President Donald Trump for not complying with court orders. He accused Trump of taking to social media and attacking his clerk.

Trump’s $5,000 Fine

Engoron also fined Trump $5,000 for violating his gag order, declaring that Trump’s testimonial response was “hollow and untrue.” He has now received $15,000 total in fines.

The Ongoing Trial

Trump is currently involved in a $250 million civil fraud trial brought forward by New York General Attorney Letitia James. Engoron is the judge overseeing the civil trial.

The Charges Against Trump

Democrats have also indicted him in four criminal cases in Washington, New York, Florida, and Georgia, constituting a total of 91 felony counts.

Engoron‘s Request

Previously, Engoron had ordered Trump to “remove the post immediately and he said he did take it down.” However, he later “learned the offending post was never removed from a website,” calling it “a blatant violation of the gag order. I made it clear [that] failure to comply will result in serious sanctions.”

The Post in Question

Trump’s inflammatory post was directed at attorney Allison Greenfield, and was deleted within 10 minutes of posting; however, a copy was also shared to Trump’s campaign website, where it remained for 17 days.

False Accusations

Trump captioned a photo of Greenfield posting with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, writing: “Schumer’s girlfriend, Alison R. Greenfield, is running this case against me. How disgraceful! This case should be dismissed immediately!!” Trump falsely claiming that Greenfield is Schumer’s girlfriend earned him the fine.

The Danger of Misinformation

Engoron criticized Trump’s post, declaring that “incendiary untruths can and have led to serious physical harm. I will not allow the defendant to explain why this should not end up with serious sanctions or I could possibly imprison him.”

Excuses From Trump’s Defense

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Trump’s defense attorney insisted that the post was shared inadvertently to Trump’s website and apologized on his client’s behalf. The situation has left people torn, with some believing it to be an unfair attempt to silence Trump and others feeling the punishment wasn’t harsh enough.

Trump’s Response

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Trump has subsequently slammed Engoron on Truth Social, calling him a “political hack who ruled against me before the trial even started.” He also said Engoron “sanctioned us for no reason” and “fined us big money.” In a later post, he said he was “being “railroaded” at a level never seen before.”

The Internet Debates

Some Trump supporters praised the former President’s comeback, with one forum commenter writing, “Today is shaping up to go well for him already. He should really tell the judge all of this in person and not take no for an answer.” Others ridiculed Trump for complaining about the fine: “He’s whining about the $15k fine, which to him, is something like what a dime is to most of us. Also, most of us would certainly be in custody by now.”

Trump Supporters Stand Firm

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Trump supporters have stood behind him in light of the new punishment. “Seems obvious to me the “girlfriend” part was meant to be a facetious statement, not meant to be taken literally,” one shared. “His intention was to draw attention to the fact that the clerk who runs the case is palling around with prominent Democrat leaders.”

Queries Over Trump’s Mental State

One commenter wrote: “He belongs in an institution with a straitjacket,” with another concurring, “he needs to be in a secure ward in a mental hospital.” Many disagreed with Trump’s assessment that “Engoron is crazy, totally unhinged, and dangerous.”

Too Small a Punishment

Many people dismissed Trump’s fine as being too small to have an impact. One person wrote: “Unless fine amounts are tied to net worth you get punishment for poor and middle and not punishment for the rich. A $5000 fine would cripple most but is of no consequence to someone like Trump.”

A Disproportionate Fine

One forum user calculated that Trump had only been charged a tiny decimal of his net worth, which if applied to the average American with a net worth of $193,000, would only equal 39 cents. They further explained that “a proportional monetary fine for Trump is over six million dollars. Anything less is unjustifiable.”

The System Is Broken

Several people noted that the fine wouldn’t deter Trump from repeating his mistakes. “It’s so sad that poor minorities get crushed by the legal system but rich people like Trump or the Sacklers just walk around doing basically whatever they want,” one wrote.

An Ulterior Motive

Others speculated that serving time in prison is Trump’s intention. “I’m all for Trump being imprisoned, but you guys do realize that’s his goal here right? He wants to get locked up over his “free speech” to further his victim narrative and boost his support.”

“Lock Him Up”

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Overall, many people were glad to see Trump face repercussions for his actions and expressed hopes that these will only get more severe. The phrase “lock him up” was repeated by many forum users.