Former President Donald Trump recently expressed his dissatisfaction with New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over his criminal hush money case. Trump’s critique extended to the judge’s daughter, following his legal team’s unsuccessful attempt to postpone the trial set for next month.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump described Judge Merchan as “a very distinguished looking man” but criticized him as “a true and certified Trump Hater.” He further alleged that the judge’s daughter holds a senior position at a “Super Liberal Democrat firm” that has worked with figures and entities such as Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, the Democrat National Committee, the (Dem)Senate Majority PAC, and even Joe Biden.
Trump argued for Judge Merchan’s recusal, claiming that a fair trial under his supervision was impossible. He suggested that the trial should be moved to Staten Island and overseen by a new, unbiased judge.
This is not the first instance Trump has mentioned Merchan’s daughter in his objections. The judge is in charge of the case that accuses Trump of falsifying business records to hide a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Last May, Trump’s lawyers requested Merchan’s recusal, citing potential bias due to his daughter’s role at Authentic Campaigns, a firm known for its work with Democratic clients, including President Joe Biden.
The lawyers emphasized the problematic nature of this connection, especially considering the potential use of the case in political campaigns and advertising for the 2024 presidential election. They expressed concern that Trump’s opponents might leverage any court rulings to criticize him.
Despite these arguments, Judge Merchan refused to step down from the case in August 2023, asserting that his recusal would not serve the public interest and expressing confidence in his impartiality.
During a court hearing, Merchan decided that the hush money case will proceed to trial on April 15, dismissing the defense’s request for a delay to review new documents. He also rejected the accusation from Trump’s team that the Manhattan district attorneys had withheld evidence.
Additionally, Trump criticized Merchan’s handling of a case involving Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization. Weisselberg had served time at Rikers Island jail for a tax-fraud scheme and later pleaded guilty to perjury charges related to his testimony in a civil trial against Trump and his company.
Trump’s post also coincided with the NASDAQ trading debut of Trump Media & Technology Group under the stock ticker DJT, following its merger with another company, DWAC. The stock saw a significant increase, briefly halting trading, and provided Trump with a substantial financial gain, with his majority stake in the company valued at approximately $4 billion on paper.