An image shared on Threads purports Judge Juan Merchan told 2024 presumptive Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump he did not attend his four older children’s graduations in court recently.

Screenshot captured via Threads

Verdict: False

The claim is false. Lead Stories debunked the claim via an April 22 article.

Fact Check:

Judge Arthur Engoron “approved a new agreement Monday” to reinforce Trump’s $175 million bond in his New York civil fraud trial, according to USA Today. The former Republican president’s bond was previously set at $464 million, ABC News reported.

The Threads image purports Merchan told Trump he did not attend his four older children’s graduations in court recently. The image, which has received over 200 likes as of writing, features courtroom sketches of both Trump and Merchan. “I need to go to Barron’s graduation,” the text next to the sketch of Trump reads. “Sir, you did not attend the graduations of your other four children,” the text next to the sketch of Merchan continues.

The claim is false, however. Lead Stories debunked the claim via an April 22 article. Citing an excerpt of a court transcript obtained by CBS News, Lead Stories indicated Merchan did not make the purported remark about Trump not attending his four older children’s graduations.

“Regarding counsel’s request that the Court adjourn on Friday, May 17th for Mr. Trump to attend his son’s high school graduation and Friday June 3rd to allow a member of the defense team to attend their son’s graduation, I cannot rule on those two requests at this time. It really depends on how we are doing on time and where we are in the trial. 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 excerpt cited in the same Lead Stories article reads.

Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports suggesting Merchan made the purported remark. Trump also has not publicly commented on the claim made via the Threads image on his TRUTH Social account or his website.

In addition, Snopes reported on April 18 that Trump had attended both the high school and college graduations of his four older children.

The claim attributing the remark to Merchan appears to have circulated following a previous claim that Trump would be barred from attending his youngest son Barron’s high school graduation. The Associated Press debunked this claim on April 16, reiterating Merchan “had not yet ruled on the matter.” (RELATED: Facebook Image Purporting To Show P. Diddy, Trump, And Epstein Is Not Authentic)

Check Your Fact has contacted a Trump spokesperson for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.