Former President Donald Trump’s son Barron was selected as a Florida delegate to the Republican National Convention this week, but his mother said he won’t be accepting the offer.
“While Barron is honored to have been chosen as a delegate by the Florida Republican Party, he regretfully declines to participate due to prior commitments,” the Office of former First Lady Melania Trump said in a statement provided to the Daily Mail.
This statement didn’t elaborate on what those commitments might be.
“The Friday statement appeared to signal that the former first lady, who has been fiercely protective of Barron during their time in the White House and after, may not be thrilled that her son could enter the political spotlight anytime soon,” said a report from Mother Jones.
Barron recently turned 18 and he can now vote. That, and his status as a Florida resident, made him eligible to be a delegate in the upcoming convention, which will be held from July 15 to July 18 in Milwaukee, Wisc. His older siblings have served as delegates in the past.
Trump himself has skipped Republican National Committee debates in the past.
“Little is known about the younger Trump’s time at Oxbridge Academy, with his three years there largely shrouded in secrecy as his parents kept him out of the public eye,” according to the Daily Beast. “Nearly a dozen recent graduates, students, and their parents declined interview requests about Barron’s time at Oxbridge, which charges $41,500 a year for high schoolers not on scholarship. More than a dozen others did not respond to calls, texts, direct messages, and emails,” the outlet continued.
The “apparent reluctance,” for Barron to be a delegate “comes amid a parade of humiliating moments for the Trump family, including explicit details of Donald Trump’s sex life, that have played out in the former president’s criminal trial where he faces 34 felony counts related to alleged hush-money payments made to a porn star actress,” said Mother Jones.
Trump’s request to attend Barron’s graduation from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Fla., was approved by Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the former president’s trial in Manhattan. Friday was the last day of classes at Oxbridge, according to an Instagram post from the school. Its prom was held last month, per another post.
“He’s a little on the tall side, I will tell you,” said Trump of his 6’7” son, in an exclusive interview with WPHT, adding that Barron has been a great student who likes politics. “It’s sort of funny. He’ll tell me sometimes: ‘Dad, this is what you have to do.’”
Trump said that Barron will be going to college after his graduation from Oxbridge. According to the Daily Mail, Barron is a “steadfast supporter of the Trump 2024 campaign behind the scenes.”