Trump tries to kick judge off Stormy Daniels hush money case AGAIN: Ex-president says Juan Merchan should recuse himself because of his daughter's work

Donald Trump has launched a second bid to kick the judge in his Stormy Daniels hush money trial off the case.

The former president's lawyers have asked permission to a file a formal motion asking Judge Juan Merchan to recuse himself over his daughter's work.

Attorneys for the 77-year-old Republican claim Merchan's daughter Loren's position at a political consultancy with Democratic clients poses a conflict of interest.  

The move from the presumptive Republican nominee's lawyers comes just 24 hours after Merchan expanded the gag order on Trump to stop attacking her. 

Trump, 77, has attacked Merchan's daughter frequently online and said she posted a photo of him behind bars in a claim that was later debunked.

In a one-page court filing dated April 1 and made public on Tuesday, the former president's lawyers asked Merchan for permission to file a formal motion for him to recuse himself, arguing the trial would benefit his daughter's firm, Authentic Campaigns, financially.

'It can no longer be ignored that Authentic's commercial interests are benefited by developments in this case,' Trump's lawyers wrote. 

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up his former lawyer Michael Cohen's $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she says she had with Trump.

Trump denies any encounter with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.

The Manhattan trial is set to begin on April 15. It is the first of four criminal trials the ex-president is facing. 

Trump tried to have Merchan recuse himself last year, but the request was denied.