In a series of social media posts on Saturday, former President Donald Trump expressed his grievances against the judge and the circumstances surrounding his upcoming New York hush money trial. The trial had recently completed its jury selection process and is set to commence with opening arguments on Monday.

Trump took to Truth Social, his preferred social media platform, to voice his frustration. He accused the trial of being a "planned and coordinated witch hunt," taking place in a predominantly Democrat area. He also targeted the judge presiding over his case, claiming him to be the most conflicted judge in the history of the judiciary system, demanding his immediate removal from the trial.

This outburst follows Trump's legal team's request to delay the trial and seek a different location. Their argument was based on the perception that New York City residents could not provide an unbiased jury. However, their request was swiftly denied by a Manhattan appeals court, marking one of many attempts to postpone the trial.

Despite these efforts, Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the case, announced that the opening arguments would proceed as scheduled on Monday morning. Trump currently faces 34 counts of falsifying business records regarding an alleged cover-up of a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Trump's ongoing social media attacks against Judge Merchan and other individuals involved in the trial have become a regular pattern for the former president, despite a gag order imposed on him in March. Trump has been known to publicly criticize the judge's daughter, who works for a progressive political consulting firm, and has repeatedly called for Merchan to recuse himself.

Prosecutors wasted no time in responding to Trump's social media violations of the gag order. They requested a hearing to impose penalties on Trump, specifically citing three of his posts targeting witnesses, including Stormy Daniels and his former lawyer Michael Cohen. The prosecutors sought a $1,000 sanction for each of the three posts and warned Trump that further violations could result in jail time. A hearing on this request is scheduled for Wednesday.

As the trial approaches, the ongoing tension between Trump and the legal proceedings raise questions about the potential impact on the trial's impartiality and the former president's attempts to influence public opinion.

With opening arguments just around the corner, all eyes will be on the courtroom where the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president is set to take place.