Melania Trump has slammed “completely false” rumours that her son was rejected from Harvard after her president husband slashed all federal ties with the Ivy League college.
The First Lady denied claims that Donald Trump cut $100 million (£75 million) worth of contracts with the school because its admissions committee turned down Barron, 19, last spring.
His administration had already frozen an estimated $3 billion (£2.25 billion) in contracts and grants with Harvard.
The Department of Homeland Security also attempted to curtail individual visas for international students, only to be blocked by a Massachusetts judge.
Harvard sued the White House over the measure for what it described as “a blatant violation of the First Amendment”.
At the centre of the fight are accusations of Harvard failing to combat antisemitism and left-wing bias on campus.
However, social media users suggested that Mr Trump is jealous that his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama’s daughter Malia, 26, is a Harvard graduate.
Rode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse was among those who fueled speculation, writing on X, formerly Twitter: “Can't help but wonder how many Trumps got rejected by Harvard.”
But Nick Clemens, Mrs Trump’s spokesman, told The Palm Beach Post: “Barron did not apply to Harvard, and any assertion that he, or that anyone on his behalf, applied is completely false.”
Mr Trump attended the University of Pennsylvania, as did his children Donald Trump Jr, Ivanka and Tiffany.
Ivanka initially studied at Georgetown University, as did Eric. Many of the president’s staff have attended the school in Washington DC.
But Baron broke from family's tradition when he enrolled at New York University’s Stern Business School, where annual tuition starts around $62,000 (£46,000).
Barron graduated from Oxbridge Academy in Florida last year and lives in Trump Tower in Manhattan while studying at NYU.
On its website, Harvard said that its "cutting-edge medical, scientific, and technological research" has historically been supported by the US government and other entities.
Following Mr Trump’s cuts, Harvard said that it would remain “open to dialogue about what the university has done and is planning to do”.
