Trump seeks to halt gag order in election meddling case he faces in his federal trial on election subversion charges.

As a result of the order, Mr Trump is prohibited from speaking out against court personnel, potential witnesses, or the special counsel’s office. The project is currently on hold.

Former president and current GOP frontrunner’s lawyers have called for revocation of the order.

However, a three-judge panel appeared sceptical about lifting the restriction.

Democratic appointees grilled each side on how to balance free speech concerns with the integrity and safety of those involved in a criminal trial beginning next March.

Despite an initial hearing that was scheduled for 40 minutes but lasted over two hours, the judges did not issue a decision immediately.

An attempt to censor Mr Trump’s speech during a highly contested presidential campaign was challenged by his attorneys.

The US Justice Department argued he has a “well-established practice of using his public platform to target his opponents”.

They noted that Mr. Trump had most recently criticised those involved in the federal case over the 2020 election this weekend.

Trump called Special Counsel Jack Smith, the key prosecutor in the case, “deranged” and a “Trump-hating prosecutor” at a campaign rally on Saturday.

According to him, Mr Smith’s “wife and family despise me much more than he does”, at “about a 15 on a 10 point scale.”.

Judge Tanya Chutkan, who oversees the election subversion case, has sought to limit these remarks since issuing a “narrowly tailored” gag order last month.

Mr. Trump’s attorney, John Sauer, told the Washington DC appeals court on Monday that Trump seeks to halt the order sets an awful precedent for future restrictions on core political speech.