A viral photo of Donald Trump graduating from college has gone viral, following news that the former president may miss his son Barron’s high school graduation ceremony due to his attendance at the Stormy Daniels “hush money” trial. The 77-year-old faces charges of allegedly falsifying business records to hide a payment to adult film actress Daniels in exchange for her silence about a rumored affair with Trump ahead of the 2016 general election. Trump has denied all charges and an affair with Daniels, claiming he is the victim of a political witch hunt.
Trump’s lawyers have requested him miss court on May 17 to attend Barron Trump’s celebration. Judge Juan Merchan has yet to confirm or deny the request, which depends on whether the trial is running to schedule. Trump hit out at Merchan on Monday, calling the New York state judge “conflicted and corrupt” on Truth Social. Trump’s supporters have rallied behind him on social media, criticizing Merchan.
The photo was shared by conservative political strategist and lobbyist Roger Stone, who worked as a consultant on Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Stone was arrested in 2019 as part of Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation, which examined whether Russian interference influenced the 2016 U.S. general election. He was found guilty on seven counts, including lying to the House of Representatives’ Intelligence Committee, obstructing justice, and witness tampering. However, his 40-month jail sentence was commuted by Trump in July 2020.
At the time of publishing, the photo has received more than 419,000 views. Trump originally attended Fordham University in New York before transferring to the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania in 1966, where he graduated with a BSc in Economics.
Despite the photo receiving 23,000 likes and almost 5,000 reposts, many users hit out at Trump in the comments. Gail Dow wrote “Criminal defendants don’t get perks,” Gail Dow said “He is using his son Barron as a political pawn,” and Billy Jones said “If Trump behaves himself and doesn’t drag the case down, I take the judge at his word.”
Barron is Trump’s youngest child and only son with his wife, former first lady Melania Trump. He is also father to Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump, whose mother was Trump’s late first wife, Ivana Trump.