Former President Donald Trump railed against Judge Juan Merchan for not approving him to skip trial proceedings on May 17 for his son Barron’s high school graduation, with Merchan punting on whether Trump will be allowed to have the day off.
Merchan reportedly said he “cannot rule on those dates at this time,” noting it will depend on how the trial is proceeding. The former president attacked the judge’s indecision, telling reporters outside the courtroom it appeared he would not be allowed to “escape” the “scam trial.”
“We had some amazing things happen today. As you know, my son has graduated from high school, and it looks like the judge will not let me go to the graduation. My son has worked very, very hard. He’s a great student,” Trump said.
“He was very proud of the fact that he did so well and was looking forward for years to have graduation with his mother and father there, and it looks like the judge isn’t going to allow me to escape this scam. It’s a scam trial,” he added.
Trump was in court in Manhattan on Monday for jury selection for his criminal trial on alleged hush money payments he made to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. In his remarks to reporters, Trump also claimed he would not be getting a “fair trial” in the hush money case.
“It’s a scam. It’s a political witch hunt, it continues, and it continues forever, and we’re not going to be given a fair trial. It’s a very, very sad thing,” Trump said.
Trump also decried Merchan’s decision not to allow him to be excused from the Manhattan court to attend oral arguments in the Supreme Court over his presidential immunity case. Trump claimed that the judge “thinks he’s superior, I guess, to the Supreme Court.”
In court on Monday, Merchan said he understands why Trump would want to attend the Supreme Court hearing but told defense attorney Todd Blanche that Trump “is a criminal defendant in New York County Supreme Court. He’s required to be here,” according to ABC News.
Trump also renewed his claims that the various criminal trials he will have to attend are “election interference,” listing off how he is unable to attend events, such as his son’s graduation, or campaign in key swing states for the presidential election.
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“I can’t go to my son’s graduation or to the United States Supreme Court. … I’m not in Georgia or Florida or North Carolina, campaigning like I should be,” Trump told reporters. “It’s perfect for the radical left Democrats. That’s exactly what they want. This is about election interference. That’s all it’s about.”
Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and is slated to face President Joe Biden in a rematch of the 2020 election in November. Polls, both nationally and in key swing states, show a tight race between the two men.
