Did Trump play the judge in his hush money case?

Donald Trump has become well-known for his public theatrics when things do not go his way and the former president’s penchant for making a scene was on full display after he left court following the first of his hush money trial. 

Trump left the court to a torrent of questions from the media but all the former president had to say was that he was very disappointed he probably wouldn’t be able to attend his son Barron’s graduation ceremony due to the case. 

“I was looking forward to that graduation with his mother and father there,” Trump stated to the assembled reporters. “It looks like the judge isn’t going to allow me to escape this scam. It’s a scam trial,” The Hill cited him as saying. 

The former president later took to Truth Social to continue venting his frustration with the judge in the case for not only not allowing him to attend Barron’s graduation but also his presidential immunity hearing at the Supreme Court. 

Photo Credit: Screenshot from Truth Social @realDonaldTrump

Rolling Stone reported at the time that Trump’s angry comments were misleading since Judge Juan Merchan hadn’t banned Trump from attending Barron’s graduation because he had yet to decide if the court would be in session. 

Trump’s legal team had asked for the former president to be excused from court on May 17th to attend an event and only Judge Merchan explained that it was too early to tell if court would be in session on the day in question. 

Why all of this matters is important. The Hill reported that Trump was legally required to attend the whole of his trial in person under New York State law unless Judge Merchan gave him special permission to not attend his trial.

Fast forward to April 30th and Judge Merchan gave Trump the special permission that he needed saying: “I don’t think the May 17 date is a problem,” later ruling court would not be in session according to The New York Times.

However, Barron’s graduation in Florida isn’t the only event that the former president will be attending on May 17th according to several news reports. Trump will be the keynote speaker at a Republican fundraising event in Minnesota. 

On May 6th, the Minnesota Republican Party revealed that the former president would headline the organization Lincoln Reagan Dinner, an event that does not have a clear start time according to The Independent’s reporting. 

“We are thrilled to welcome President Trump back to Minnesota,” David Hann, the state Republican chairman explained in a statement. “I can think of no one more fitting to join us this year than President Trump.”

The Independent noted that the former president’s event in Saint Paul, Minnesota is a three-hour and forty-five-minute plane flight away from Barron’s graduation ceremony in Palm Beach, Florida—which is at 10:00 a.m. 

Whether Trump can make both events is unknown but it is clear to some onlookers that the former president is probably pushing his luck with Judge Merchan, even if Merchan does not publicly comment on the timing of Trump’s second event. 

 "Judge Merchan will likely not say much about the dinner since Trump has the right to campaign for president,” Tray Gober—a trial attorney and managing partner of Lee, Gober & Reyna—explained to Newsweek. 

Gober added that Barron’s graduation takes solace in the morning while Trump’s event in Minnesota doesn't take place until the mid-afternoon so it “would not be practical for Judge Merchan to try squeezing in a partial court date after Barron's graduation”

"However, this is something that Judge Merchan will definitely make a mental note about… It just is another example of Trump trying to push the envelope and see how much he can get away with,” Gober continued. 

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