Internet divided as Judge permits Donald Trump to skip court for son Barron's graduation amid hush money trial

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Donald Trump has been granted permission to attend his son Barron Trump's high school graduation amid ongoing hush money trial.

Despite facing 34 felony charges in the criminal trial, New York Judge Juan Merchan permitted the former president to temporarily step away from court on May 17 to attend his son's graduation from Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Florida, according to The New York Times.

“I don’t think the May 17 date is a problem,” the judge said in the courtroom on Tuesday, April 30.

Judge Juan Merchan previously cited time constraints for trial

Judge Merchan stated that the swift jury selection process suggests there will be ample time to accommodate Trump's absence without any significant delay in the trial schedule.

"We picked the jury pretty quickly. So Mr. Trump can certainly attend that date," said Merchan, as per Business Insider.

On his first day in the Manhattan court on April 15, the former president initially petitioned the judge for an adjournment during Barron's graduation.

At the time, the judge refrained from making an immediate decision, citing the trial's time constraints.

"It really depends on how we are doing on time and where we are in the trial," said Merchan.

"If everything is going according to schedule without unnecessary delays, then I am sure we will be able to adjourn ... but if we are running behind schedule, we will not be able to," he added.

Judge Juan Merchan denied Donald Trump's request to adjourn court one day in April

The 77-year-old politician who is the first US president to face criminal charges also requested the judge to adjourn court for one day in April to attend Supreme Court arguments, which was swiftly denied emphasizing that the criminal trial takes precedence over Trump's other court cases.

For the hush money trial, Trump is required to attend court four days a week for the next several months. 

He stands accused of falsifying his business records to conceal hush money payments to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential campaign, as per his indictment.

Internet weighs in as Judge Juan Merchan allows Donald Trump to attend his son Barron's graduation amid trial

Reacting to Trump being granted permission by Judge Merchan to attend his son Barron's high school graduation, one user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, "He was going anyway..."

Another individual penned, "Will he make his son’s graduation all about himself," and another user tweeted, "I bet he’s pissed off now he has to go. Or what kind of excuse will he come up with not to go?"

"Wow, how magnanimous of him," a netizen commented and another user wrote, "Again, he gets concessions most other people would never get."

"So are there any consequences when Trump does not actually attend graduation?" a user tweeted.

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