intervene in criminal cases after his attorney general complained
White House tweets were making his job "impossible".
In his post, Mr Trump also denied he had ever meddled in any
cases.
America's top law officer William Barr on Thursday asked Mr Trump
to stop his tweets, saying he would not be bullied.
Mr Barr spoke out after Mr Trump renewed his attack on the
criminal trial of his ex-adviser, Roger Stone.
Prosecutors had recommended Stone serve a stiff sentence, but Mr
Trump tweeted that was unfair.
On Friday morning, Mr Trump ignored the attorney general's plea to
stop tweeting.
It is legally ambiguous whether the US president has the authority
to order the attorney general to open or shut a case.
The Department of Justice has been meant to operate without
political interference since the Watergate scandal of the 1970s.
Mr Trump has previously called for investigations into perceived
enemies, such as former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI
Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
On Friday, Mr McCabe's lawyers announced the justice department
had closed its criminal inquiry into whether their client had lied to
investigators about leaks to the media.
The New York Times meanwhile reported Mr Barr had appointed
outside prosecutors to review the case against another Trump ally,
Michael Flynn.
Flynn, who was Mr Trump's first national security adviser,
previously pleaded guilty to lying to investigators in a federal
inquiry, but later withdrew co-operation and is in the midst of trying
to recant his plea.
Mr Barr said on Thursday that Mr Trump "undercuts" him by
tweeting, making it "impossible for me to do my job".
"I think it's time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice
criminal cases," Mr Barr told ABC News.
"I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant
background commentary that undercuts me," he added.
The rare show of dissent from a cabinet member widely seen as a
Trump loyalist has provoked a degree of scepticism in the US
media.
Critics suggested the statement could have been co-ordinated with
the White House to shore up the Department of Justice's credibility
as an independent agency.
The attorney general has been an outspoken defender of the
president to the extent that Democrats and former justice
department officials have accused him of politicising the rule of law.
After the interview on Thursday evening, the White House said Mr
Trump "wasn't bothered by the comments at all and he has the
right, just like any American citizen, to publicly offer his opinions".
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who rarely
speaks up against Mr Trump, said the president should listen to Mr
Barr's advice.
Prosecutors quit Trump ally case over sentence dispute
Roger Stone: Trump ally and Russia probe defendant
There was widespread anger this week when the Department of
Justice said it planned to reduce the length of the prison sentence it
would seek for Stone, a long-time friend of the president.
Stone was convicted in November of obstructing an investigation by
the House Intelligence Committee into alleged Russian interference
in the 2016 election.
Federal prosecutors had initially recommended Stone face seven to
nine years in jail for trying to thwart the investigation.
The president swiftly voiced his opposition, tweeting: "This is a
horrible and very unfair situation."
The justice department then overruled the recommendation by its
own prosecution team, prompting questions over whether Mr Barr
had intervened on behalf of Mr Trump's ally. The four prosecutors
subsequently quit.
President Trump praised Mr Barr for "taking charge" of the Roger
Stone case.
He also dropped his nomination of former US Attorney Jessie Liu,
who oversaw the Stone case, for another government post in the
Treasury Department.
On Thursday, Mr Trump said the federal jury that heard the case
against Stone had "significant bias".
The forewoman of the jurors reportedly identified herself in a
Facebook post. Her social media posts revealed hostility to Mr
Trump, it was also reported.
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