(Daily Mail) The Manhattan judge overseeing the hush money trial has not yet made his decision, but the Trump campaign already believes the possibility of preventing the former president from attending his son’s high-school graduation is political dynamite.
‘F***ing with us on Barron’s graduation has the potential to be the “$18M Mar-a-Lago valuation” faux pas of this trial,’ a Trump insider told DailyMail.com.
Earlier this year another judge in a different trial offered an $18 million valuation of Trump’s Florida club, a number that the former president said was orders of magnitude lower that its true value and which has been used ever since to ridicule the outcome of a civil case.
In the same way, his campaign is now looking to weaponize anything it can from the hush money trial in Manhattan.
Any sign that Trump is being treated unfairly, including the courthouse’s dirty bathrooms, will be turned into talking points or campaign mailers, say people familiar with the thinking.
Barron Trump (left) poses with his father and a fan at Mar-a-Lago recently
The Trump campaign is using the possibility that the former president may not be allowed to attend his son’s high-school graduation in May to raise funds
There is already a team of allies on standby to attack the judge or witnesses, while the defendant himself is held to a gag order.
Barron Trump’s high-school graduation was already being used in fundraising emails within 24 hours of the issue coming up on the first day of Trump’s criminal trial.
As they discussed scheduling in courtroom 1530 of Manhattan criminal court, Trump’s lawyers asked that May 17 be kept free so that Trump can attend the event.
Barron turned 18 last month and is due to graduate from Oxbridge Academy, about eight miles from Mar-a-Lago.
A Trump lawyer also asked that June 3 be a recess day so that he could attend his own son’s graduation.
But Judge Juan Merchan, who has tried to avoid any delays in such a pivotal, important case, said he could not rule yet on either request.
‘It really depends on how we are doing on time and where we are in the trial,’ he said.
‘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.’
The next day, Trump email lists distributed a message with the subject line: ‘Forced to miss my son’s graduation.’
Any sign that Trump is being treated unfairly, including the courthouse’s dirty bathrooms, will be turned into talking points or campaign mailers, say people familiar with the thinking
Judge Juan Merchan said he could not guarantee taking off the day of May 17. ‘It really depends on how we are doing on time and where we are in the trial,’ he said
