Judge holds Trump to account.

A New York judge has fined Donald Trump for violating a gag order in his civil fraud trial.

Mr Trump was fined $5,000 (£4,100) by Judge Arthur Engoron on Friday. The judge said in court that the former president had failed to remove an online post mocking a clerk at the court. He also threatened Mr Trump with jail time, and demanded he take down the “untrue and disparaging” post made about the clerk earlier this month.

Trump’s flunkies took it off social media but left it on his website. He can fling insults around but apparently he’s too important to erase them himself: that kind of menial work is for the underlings.

Later in the day, Judge Engoron ruled that Mr Trump pay a fine given that “the violation was inadvertent, and given that it is a first time violation”.

“Make no mistake: future violations, whether intentional or unintentional, will subject the violator to far more severe sanctions, which may include, but are not limited to, steeper financial penalties, holding Donald Trump in contempt of court, and possibly imprisoning him,” Judge Engoron said in his ruling.

Go on, Don. Test him.