Conservatives got into a tizzy on Monday after Donald Trump raged that it looks like Judge Juan Merchan , who is overseeing the former presidents criminal hush money trial, will not let me go to the high school graduation ceremony of son Barron Trump.

But thats not what Merchan said.

Merchan actually said it may be possible for Trump to attend the May 17 celebration, but hed have to see how the trial develops.

Trump nevertheless spun it into an attack on what he called the scam proceedings against him as he first fumed outside the courthouse:

And then in a post on his Truth Social platform:

Pure evil, Trumps eldest son Donald Trump Jr. wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in response to right-wing outrage:

Trumps other son Eric Trump, meanwhile, slammed Merchan as truly heartless in not letting a father attend his sons graduation.

To clarify, Merchan did not rule on Trumps request to postpone the trial so that he could mark his sons educational milestone.

It really depends on how were doing on time and where we are in the trial, Merchan told the court, reported The Associated Press , which also reported the judge as saying that if the trial proceeds as planned hes willing to adjourn for the day.

Merchan did warn, however, that Trump could face arrest if he misses court or disrupts proceedings in the trial centered on allegations that before the 2016 election he paid porn actor Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about their alleged affair, which Daniels says took place when his wife, Melania Trump , was caring for their then-infant son Barron.

The latest disingenuous spin of Trump, his family and allies was pointed out by critics, who also noted that defendants shouldnt receive special privileges: