First Lady Melania Trump has publicly dismissed claims that her son, Barron Trump, was rejected by Harvard University, calling them “completely false.”
The rumor, which has spread widely online, suggested that Trump's recent efforts to cut Harvard's federal funding were in response to his son being denied admission.
A spokesperson for Melania told People, “Barron did not apply to Harvard, and any assertion that he, or that anyone on his behalf, applied is completely false.”
Highlights
- Melania Trump denied claims that her son Barron applied to or was rejected by Harvard University.
- The Trump administration is cracking down on Harvard, accusing it of antisemitism.
- Some social media users, including a Democratic senator, claim that Trump’s actions towards Harvard are based on his son being rejected by Harvard.
- Barron Trump is currently attending NYU Stern School of Business and is expected to graduate in 2028.
Melania Trump dismissed claims that her son Barron was rejected by Harvard
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The denial comes as U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration continues its crackdown on elite universities.
Over the past few weeks, Trump has taken several actions against Harvard, accusing the Ivy League school of being antisemitic and woke.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says the university failed to provide information about international students and did not maintain a safe campus environment.
The administration asked all federal agencies to find legal ways to cancel contracts with Harvard. At the same time, the DHS blocked Harvard from enrolling new foreign students.
In return, Harvard filed a federal lawsuit and sought to restore the $3.2 billion in federal grant funding that had been frozen by The Trump administration.
Image credits: Zhu Ziyu/Getty Images
Last Friday, a judge issued a temporary order protecting Harvard’s ability to host international students.
The ruling prevents the government from enforcing the DHS decision—at least for now.
Trump has continued to express frustration with Harvard.
“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 said in a social media post.
Image credits: trump_repost
The timing of these actions has fueled viral online theories that Trump’s targeting of Harvard is personal.
This conflict between Trump and Ivy League schools has prompted many, including Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, to question Trump’s motives.
Several posts on X have claimed that the president is angry because his son Barron was supposedly rejected by the university.
A tweet gaining much traction on X says, “Trump is retaliating against Harvard for rejecting his adult son Barron Trump & for allowing students to practice their free speech to criticize Israel's genocide in Gaza, the regime tried to punish the university by eliminating its ability to enroll international students. Is being blocked by judge.”
Image credits: The White House/ Flickr
Neither Harvard nor the White House have directly responded to the conspiracy theory.
However, the first lady’s team has firmly denied the rumors.
Barron, who recently completed his first year at New York University’s Stern School of Business, has never applied to Harvard, according to the official statement.
“He’s a very smart guy, and he’ll be going to Stern, the business school, which is a great school at NYU,” he said.
Baron is currently studying at New York University’s Stern School of Business
Image credits: The White House/ Flickr
Barron also played a key role in selecting his father’s podcast appearances leading up to last year’s presidential election, during which Trump made a targeted effort to reach young male voters.
Barron is expected to graduate in 2028. He is the youngest of the President's children and the only child of Donald and Melania Trump.
Despite the online rumors, there is no evidence connecting the federal action against Harvard to his academic journey.