Melania Trump reveals son Barron, 18, has pulled out of being a delegate nominating his father for president because he has ‘prior commitments’
Barron Trump is rejecting Florida’s offer to be a delegate to the Republican National Convention this summer, citing “previous commitments,” his mother’s office said.
Melania Trump’s office issued a statement to DailyMail.com on behalf of her son.
“While Barron is honored to have been selected as a delegate by the Republican Party of Florida, he regretfully declines to participate due to prior commitments,” Melania Trump’s office said.
No further details were given.
“While Barron is honored to have been selected as a delegate by the Republican Party of Florida, he regretfully declines to participate due to prior commitments,” Melania Trump’s office told DailyMail.com
On Wednesday, Barron, 18, was chosen as an at-large delegate to help formally nominate his father Donald Trump as the Republican presidential candidate.
It is now unclear whether he will even attend the convention, which takes place in Milwaukee from Monday, July 15 to Thursday, July 18.
Other Family Members – Don Jr. and his fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle, Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump and her husband Michael Boulos – are also delegates at large for the state of Florida.
Ivanka Trump, who served as a senior adviser in her father’s White House, was the only Trump child not on the delegate list.
Unlike his half-siblings, Barron Trump was rarely seen during his father’s years in the White House, mainly at the request of his mother Melania, who is known to protect her son.
The announcement comes after Donald Trump revealed that Barron enjoys politics and gives his father advice.
“He really has been a great student. And he likes politics. It’s kind of funny,” the former president told “Kayal and Company” on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT in Philadelphia.
“He’ll tell me sometimes, ‘Daddy, this is what you have to do,’” he added.
Trump also revealed that the 18-year-old, who will graduate from high school next week, is considering which college he could attend. But, he noted, protests on campus played a role in that decision.
“He’s in high school now and going to college. And you know, a lot of these college choices are changing because you see what’s been going on over the last month,” Trump said.
Trump has been critical of the pro-Palestinian protests that have sprung up on college campuses across the country. He told Time magazine that he would call in the National Guard.
Barron is considering NYU, the Daily Beast reported, but the school has seen its fair share of protesters and arrests by the NYPD. The Trump family has made no announcement about where Barron will go.
The former president also complimented his 6-foot-2 son’s appearance.
‘He’s a bit on the tall side. I’ll tell you, he’s tall, but he looks good,” Trump said.
‘He likes politics. It’s kind of funny,” Trump told “Kayal and Company” on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT in Philadelphia about his son Barron
Then-President Donald Trump, center, waves during a walk with First Lady Melania Trump, right, and son Barron Trump on the South Lawn in November 2019
The Republican Party of Florida selected Barron Wednesday night to join his older siblings for the event.
The only requirement to be a delegate is that you must live and vote in the state. Barron, who turned 18 in March, is eligible to cast his first vote in the August primary and November elections.
Barron will graduate next week from Oxbridge Academy in the suburb of West Palm Beach. That day – May 17 – will be a busy day for Donald Trump.
He will also be the keynote speaker at the Lincoln Reagan Dinner in Minnesota.
Barron’s graduation ceremony is in the morning, so it’s possible Trump could attend both events.
It’s unclear what his plans are after high school.
But sources told DailyMail.com that the 6ft tall teenager, who has never spoken a word in public, is a steadfast supporter of the Trump 2024 campaign behind the scenes.
Barron attended his father’s presidential announcement in 2016 and attended the Republican National Conventions in both 2016 and 2020.
He was not at his father’s 2024 announcement at Mar-a-Lago.
Barron Trump, seen walking from Marine One in August 2020, has developed a taste for politics and will be a delegate for Florida to the Republican National Convention
Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, then-wife of Donald Trump Jr., Vanessa Trump, Tiffany Trump, Eric Trump, Jared Kushner and Lara Trump during the first presidential debate in September of the 2016 election
Barron Trump (center) with mother Melania (left) and siblings Ivanka, Eric and Tiffany as Donald Trump is sworn in as president in January 2017
President Donald Trump and son Barron Trump leave Air Force One in February 2020
Barron Trump with his parents Donald and Melania on the South Lawn of the White House on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention in August 2020
Don Jr., Eric and Ivanka were heavily involved in Trump’s last two White House campaigns, speaking at their father’s rallies and campaigning for him. Tiffany joined her siblings in the 2020 campaign, but Barron remained out of sight.
He was only ten when his father became president.
Barron, who turned 18 last month, returned to the spotlight with Donald Trump’s hush money lawsuit, as the former president argued he should get a break from the trial to attend Barron Trump’s May 17 high school graduation to live.
Judge Juan Merchan agreed to grant the pause in the trial.