Judge allows Trump to attend son’s graduation during hush money trial

A judge announced on Monday he would grant former President Donald Trump‘s request that he miss a day of his criminal trial in New York to attend his son Barron’s high school graduation.

Judge Juan Merchan said he would not hold court proceedings in the hush money case on May 17 so that Trump can attend the ceremony, according to Politico.

Merchan’s announcement comes after Trump and his supporters decried the judge’s reluctance at the start of the trial to allow Trump to skip his criminal proceedings to attend the graduation. Merchan said on April 15, when the trial began, that he had not yet made a decision on the request.

Later that evening, Trump falsely claimed on social media that Merchan “prohibited” him from attending his son’s event, and in another post, Trump said he “likely” would not be able to go.

Staunch Trump ally and Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake perpetuated the claim, lamenting that Trump was “being robbed” of going to the graduation.

“This corrupt judge is heartless & cruel,” Lake wrote. “We The People will send a message in November & take our country back.”

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Criminal defendants are typically obligated to be present physically for trial, but a judge has discretion over the trial schedule. Merchan does not hold trial on Wednesdays, and he held shortened trial days for Passover.

Trump had also asked to be present for the Supreme Court’s high-stakes oral arguments related to his separate criminal case in Washington, D.C., but Merchan denied that request.