Being accused of helping cover up hush money to an adult film star is bad enough. But to add insult to injury, Donald Trump is claiming the fraud case will ruin his son Barron's graduation day as well. The former president had his legal team put in a request for court to be adjourned on May 17, 2024 — the date of Barron Trump's graduation from the exclusive Oxbridge School. Judge Juan Merchan postponed his decision, which Trump took as a rejection.
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Speaking to reporters later, he said (per YouTube), "As you know, my son is graduating from high school, and it looks like the judge will not let me go to the graduation of my son, which he's worked very, very hard , he's a great student..." Trump also repeated his claim on Truth Social (via Newsweek), calling the case "bogus," Merchan "seriously Conflicted and Corrupt," and the commencement ceremony "something that we have been talking about for years."
This outrage was quickly met with online claims about Trump's four older children. One sample, as repeated on X (aka Twitter): "Donald Trump did NOT attend Don Jr's Graduation. Donald Trump did NOT attend Ivanka's Graduation.
Donald Trump did NOT attend Eric's Graduation. Donald Trump did NOT attend Tiffany's Graduation. Donald Trump had NO intention [of] attending [Barron's] Graduation." Some posts specified he missed high school graduations, while others alleged he was a no-show at their college ceremonies. Not that it matters — like most rage-tweets, these rumors about Trump's absenteeism turned out to be false.
No one is claiming Donald Trump has transformed himself into a model father. He has openly declared he takes a hands-off approach to childrearing, even suggesting parents who change diapers are less than manly. In 2018 he exposed the former POTUS claims he was "an absentee father for his first four children" and practically nonexistent for youngest son Barron, per New York Post. Mike Brady he wasn't — but he wasn't a total Darth Vader, either. In addition to financing his kids' expensive educations, he did indeed come to their graduations.