In a bid to quash swirling rumors about Barron Trump’s educational prospects, First Lady Melania Trump’s office has clarified that her son never applied to Harvard University, refuting any claims of rejection from the prestigious institution.
“Barron did not apply to Harvard, and any assertion that he, or anyone on his behalf, applied is completely false,” stated Nicholas Clemens, the First Lady’s spokesperson, in an email to NTD, a sister outlet of The Epoch Times.
Harvard University has not responded to requests for comment, a common practice as schools typically do not disclose information regarding applicants due to privacy concerns.
Recently, Barron completed his freshman year at New York University after graduating from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida. President Donald Trump has previously described his son as a “great student.”
During a rally in Doral, Florida, in July 2024, the President boasted that Barron “got into every college he wanted to,” alluding that a decision had been made, although specifics were withheld at that moment.
Critics of Trump’s administration, particularly regarding its stance towards Harvard, took to social media to speculate that Barron might have faced rejection. “Can’t help but wonder how many Trumps got rejected by Harvard,” tweeted Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) in April.
The Ivy League institution has recently been embroiled in protests led by students concerning the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which escalated following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel. Throughout this turmoil, the Trump administration has characterized Harvard as a bastion of progressive ideals and anti-Semitism.
In response, the administration has demanded a restructuring of Harvard’s leadership, revisions to its admissions policies, and a thorough audit of its faculty and student demographics to promote a diversity of viewpoints.
Harvard has resisted these demands, even filing a lawsuit against the federal government in April. The administration, in turn, has threatened to revoke the university’s tax-exempt status and cut international student enrollments.
Trump expressed his frustration over Harvard’s delayed compliance with a request for lists of foreign students, commenting on Truth Social, “We are still waiting for the Foreign Student Lists from Harvard so that we can determine, after a ridiculous expenditure of BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, how many radicalized lunatics, troublemakers all, should not be let back into our Country.” He further claimed, “Harvard is very slow in the presentation of these documents, and probably for good reason!”
A federal judge recently extended an injunction preventing the administration from blocking Harvard from enrolling international students.
This week, Trump directed federal agencies to terminate $100 million in contracts with Harvard and urged a halt to future grant considerations. His administration has already retracted over $2.6 billion in federal research grants awarded to the university.
On Thursday, Harvard celebrated its graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2025. Student speaker Thor Reimann addressed the institution’s ongoing conflict with the federal government, expressing, “We leave a campus much different than the one we entered, with Harvard at the center of a national battle of higher education in America.” He added, “Our university is certainly imperfect, but I am proud to stand today alongside our graduating class, our faculty, and our president with the shared conviction that this ongoing project of veritas is one that is worth defending.”
In his commencement address, Harvard President Alan Garber subtly criticized the administration’s threats, affirming that the university’s global influence is “just as it should be.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From NTD News
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