Donald Trump, during his trial for hush money charges, mistakenly insulted Judge Aileen Cannon while targeting Judge Juan Merchan.
Trump, expected to be the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, faced a historical trial as the first ex-U.S. president under criminal scrutiny. Trump was eventually found guilty.
The conviction involves modifying records linked to hush money paid to Stormy Daniels by his ex-lawyer, Michael Cohen, during the 2016 campaign. Trump denied the affair with Daniels and pleaded not guilty, labeling the case politically motivated amid investigations by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
In a statement to reporters outside the courtroom, Trump criticized the trial and singled out Merchan, seemingly making a derogatory reference to the judge’s Colombian background.
Trump told reporters, “The judge hates Donald Trump. Take a look at him. Take a look at where he comes from.”
Some individuals on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) have pointed out that both Judge Merchan and Judge Cannon have Colombian roots and later relocated to the United States.
One user highlighted that Judge Aileen Cannon also hails from Colombia.
Congressional lawyer and former Obama administration official, Eric Columbus, condemned Trump’s remarks while emphasizing the Colombian heritage of both Merchan and Cannon.
Merchan, born in Bogotá, Colombia, moved to the U.S. at the age of six, growing up in Queens, New York.
He entered the legal profession in 1994, serving as a prosecutor before becoming a family court judge in 2006, appointed by then NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
Recognized as an acting state Supreme Court justice in 2009, Merchan presided over felony criminal cases.
Cannon was also born in Colombia and raised in Miami, Florida.
Trump appointed Cannon to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and she assumed her position in November 2020.
Cannon has come under public scrutiny for rulings perceived as favorable to Trump.
