Former President Donald Trump has made his supposed inability to go to his son Barron's graduation a key part of his grievances with the timing of the Manhattan hush money trial — and Fox News has run with it.
But is it even true?
Already the former president has received widespread mockery over this assertion, with his former attorney Michael Cohen even saying he's not aware Trump went to any of his other kids' graduations when he was a free man who had the chance.
But it gets stranger than that, CNN's Abby Phillip reported, because Judge Juan Merchan's actual response to Trump requesting to be able to attend his son's graduation is a lot more complicated than just flatly refusing.
"My son is graduating from high school and it looks like the judge will not let me go to the graduation ... he's been 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," said Trump in a clip.
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"That was the former president immediately after day one of his Manhattan trial, lying about a decision that the judge had not made," said Phillip. She noted that after Trump said it multiple times, anchors and commentators on Fox News shortly adopted it themselves.
"That means Donald Trump isn't even allowed to attend his son Barron's high school graduation," said Fox's Jesse Watters in one clip. "If he tries to go, the judge will throw him in jail for that, too."
Laura Ingraham echoed it too, saying, "President Trump today said, he may have to miss his son Barron's graduation due to this trial and is currently under a gag order from the judge."
Former Neil Gorsuch law clerk Mike Davis responded, "That shows that this Democrat Manhattan judge, Juan Merchan, is a partisan activist in a robe."
And Sean Hannity claimed that Trump not being able to attend Barron's graduation proves "this is nothing more than another political smear campaign."
"But what Trump and his friends say was already decided has not been decided at all," Phillip said. "Merchan said, 'It is too early to say if Trump can go watch his on walk on the stage to Pomp and Circumstance. Read the transcript, and Merchan sounds like he actually wants to let Trump go if the trial can stick to a schedule: 'If everything is going according to schedule without unnecessary delays, then I am sure we will be able to adjourn for one or both of those days, but if we are running behind schedule, we will not be able to."
Watch the video below or at the link here.
Abby Phillip debunks Trump's Barron graduation claims www.youtube.com
