Piers Morgan Offers Trump Risky Advice About Barron: 'If You're Watching'
Donald Trump has been advised by Piers Morgan to ignore the warning given by the presiding judge in his hush money criminal trial and attend his son Barron Trump's graduation ceremony next month.
When Trump's New York trial kicked off Monday, Judge Juan Merchan refused to rule on the former president's request to skip the trial on May 17 for Barron's high school graduation and threatened to have him arrested if he is absent for the proceedings.
But during Monday's episode of "The Five," Morgan urged Trump to go to the graduation ceremony in Florida, regardless of the judge's ruling.
Morgan suggested that the move would be politically advantageous for the GOP 2024 presidential candidate.
"Donald Trump should go to his son's graduation ... go to the graduation. Honestly, if you're watching, President Trump, just go to the graduation. Every parent in America, whether they like you or hate you, will go, 'Yeah, I'd have done that, too,'" the Fox Nation host said.
Morgan also called the case, which stems from alleged hush money payments to former adult film actress Stormy Daniels, "utterly ridiculous."
The "Piers Morgan: Uncensored" host further elaborated on his views in a piece for the New York Post, in which he praised Trump for being a "loving dad" whose relationship with his five children is filled with "mutual respect and genuine affection."
He insisted that Barron, whom Trump shares with his wife Melania Trump, deserves to have both of his parents at his graduation ceremony, considering he's had to "grow up in the eye of the ferocious storm."
Morgan also alleged that the judge's refusal to rule on the request was a "demeaning and utterly pointless attempt to shame and humiliate" a former president.
Several conservatives appeared to share Morgan's views, taking to X, formerly Twitter, to urge Trump to attend the ceremony.
Conservative commentator Benny Johnson wrote: "Trump should go to Barron's graduation. A judge threatening him over it is insane. Jail a father for being there to support his son, let's see how that goes over with Americans."
"President Trump should just go to Barron's graduation- what do you think?" Fox News contributor Sara A. Carter tweeted.
During Monday's hearing, Merchan said his decision on Trump's request would depend on "if we are on time and where we are in the trial."
After the court proceedings, Trump expressed his anger over the possibility of missing Barron's graduation during a press conference and in a post on Truth Social.
He told reporters outside the Manhattan courtroom that him missing his son's graduation and campaign events due to the hush money trial were "perfect for the radical left Democrats" and "exactly what they want," as seen in a clip shared on X.
Trump also praised Barron on Truth Social as a "wonderful son" and "great student" and claimed they've been talking about his high school graduation "for years."
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records over an alleged reimbursement of a hush money payment to Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election in exchange for her silence on their alleged affair.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied the affair allegations.
The criminal trial, which marks the first for a former U.S. president, could last for six to eight weeks. The hush money case is the first of Trump's four criminal cases to go to trial.
