Judge Who Set Gag Order Considers More Punishment for Trump

The judge presiding over the civil fraud trial of Donald J. Trump on Wednesday signaled that he might again punish the former president for violating a gag order that bars Mr. Trump from attacking court staff.

The judge, Arthur F. Engoron, has already fined Mr. Trump for comments he made about his law clerk, Allison Greenfield, whom the former president was barred from discussing after he attacked her on social media in the opening days of the trial.

During a break in the trial on Wednesday, Mr. Trump called Justice Engoron partisan — which is allowable under the order — but then continued by saying “with a person who’s very partisan sitting alongside him. Perhaps even much more partisan than he is.”

After the break, the judge said he was concerned that the overheated environment in the courtroom could result in real danger.

“I am very protective of my staff,” Justice Engoron said, adding, “I don’t want anyone to get killed.”

A lawyer for Mr. Trump, Christopher M. Kise, protested that the former president had actually been referring to his former fixer, Michael D. Cohen, who was testifying for a second day.

The judge responded that the target of the comments had seemed clear to him, but that he would take the matter under advisement. When he fined Mr. Trump $5,000 last week — an amount that on Wednesday he referred to as “minimal” — he issued a written order explaining his decision after the trial had ended for the day.

That violation was something of a technicality: Though the comments about Ms. Greenfield were deleted from social media, they had also been posted to Mr. Trump’s website and were never taken down.

By contrast, Mr. Trump made his statement Wednesday to reporters in the hall outside the courtroom, where he typically addresses television cameras. It demonstrated the danger of the gag order to a former president known for spontaneous monologues in which he attacks his enemies.