Former United States president Donald Trump's inflammatory rhetoric have gotten prosecutors threatened and may influence jurors and witness testimony, a special counsel argued in seeking a gag order on him.

Special Counsel Jack Smith made the request on Friday ahead of Trump's trial for election subversion.

Smith enumerated Trump's menacing comments posted on social media since his 1 August indictment for allegedly upending the results of the 2020 US election in a concerted effort that led to the violent 6 January 2021 attack by his supporters on the Capitol.

"IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU!" read one of Trump's posts.

Trump, who is running for president in next year's election, also labeled trial judge Tanya Chutkan a "fraud" and "Trump-hating," Smith's office a "team of thugs" and Washington "filthy and crime-ridden" with a population "over 95 percent                           anti-Trump," Smith added.

Trump's statements "could have a material impact on the impartiality of the jury pool while simultaneously influencing witness testimony," Smith's filing with the Washington federal court stated.

"It is clear that the threats are prompted by the defendant's repeated and relentless posts," the filing added.

The ex-president is also accused of seeking to disenfranchise American voters with his false claims that he won the November 2020 presidential election.

Trump has pleaded not guilty, and has formally asked Chutkan to recuse herself from the case, accusing her of bias against him.

 WITH AFP