Donald Trump isn’t sleeping through his hush money trial. Instead, he insists he is resting his “beautiful blue eyes”.

You would think the Republican candidate would want to look alive in the face of allegations he attempted to hide hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, but he has been accused of nodding off in court.

The third week of the hush money trial has wrapped up and facing allegations of dozing off in court, Trump has hit back at critics on his own social media platform, Truth Social.

“Contrary to the FAKE NEWS MEDIA, I don’t fall asleep during the Crooked D.A.’s Witch Hunt, especially not today,” he said.

“I simply close my beautiful blue eyes, sometimes, listen intensely, and take it ALL in!!!”

Trump delivered pizza to a firehouse after a court appearance in his hush money trial. Photo: Getty

‘Von ShitzInPantz’

Perhaps nodding off in the court room is the safe thing to do for Trump, given he has already violated the gag order and been held in contempt of court.

Trump is bound by a gag order and Justice Juan Merchan said he might jail Trump if he continued to defy the gag order, saying the fines allowed by New York law – $US1000 per violation – might not be enough deterrence for the wealthy businessman-turned-politician.

The gag order aims to prevent Trump intimidating witnesses, jurors and other participants in the first criminal trial of a former US president.

• Trump lawyer suggests hush money payment was extortion

However, the defence’s argument for allowing Trump to spray his foes online amid the trial didn’t go as planned this week.

Todd Blanche, Trump’s attorney, tried to argue that the former president should be able to defend himself online and to back up his argument presented a series of tweets from Michael Cohen.

Cohen, Trump’s former attorney who spent time in prison for his involvement in the hush money payments, has made a few remarks regarding his former client on social media.

One of which included a nickname for Trump that means “Von ShitzInPantz”. The name has now entered the public record because it was read out loud in court.

“Hey Von ShitzInPantz … your attacks of me stink of desperation. We are all hoping that you take the stand in your defence,” Cohen said.

Tweet from @MichaelCohen212

Trump fundraising for gag order fine

Trump has violated the gag order on four occasions last week by referring to Cohen as a “liar” and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, another witness, as a “nice guy” in statements to news media.

Prosecutors say Trump also violated the gag order by saying in a television interview that “that jury was picked so fast – 95 per cent Democrats. The area’s mostly all Democrat.”

Now the millionaire is fundraising to cover the additional legal costs.

A judge has ruled that Donald Trump violated a gag order nine times and fined him. Photo: Getty

On Tuesday, an email raising money for the Trump National Committee, a joint fundraising committee for both his campaign and the Republican National Committee, was fired off.

“I was fined $9,000 for 9 gag order violations. THEY WANT TO SILENCE ME! They think they can BLEED ME DRY and SHUT ME UP, but I’ll NEVER stop fighting for YOU,” the email read, according to Politico.