In a highly unusual move, First Lady Melania Trump made a public statement to deny claims that her husband decided to go to war with Harvard University because the school allegedly rejected their son, Barron, last Spring.
Social media rumors began circulating last week after Trump froze $2.65 billion in federal grants and attempted to block international students from enrolling at the university—a move that a U.S. judge later blocked on Friday.
Users on X were quick to react to Trump’s drastic measures, with some even suggesting that the president is jealous that former President Barack Obama’s daughter, Malia, is a Harvard graduate.
Melania’s spokesperson, Nick Clemens, 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,” on Tuesday.
After being “accepted to a lot of colleges,” Donald Trump confirmed in September last year that his youngest son would attend NYU’s Stern School to study a degree in business, where annual tuition starts at about $62,700 per year.
An X user named Doug Wahl was among those who claimed the MAGA outrage towards Harvard is because the school would not accept Barron.
“It's as simple as this. Barron was rejected by Harvard. Malia got in!” Wahl said. “MAGA hates that! It makes their racist blood boil! This is the reason the Trump administration is going after the University- it's nothing more than this.”
The 6ft 7in teen graduated from West Palm Beach, Florida’s Oxbridge Academy in May 2024.
Trump told The Daily Mail at the time that his son had intended to follow in his father’s footsteps at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, but ultimately opted for NYU. Barron will graduate from NYU Stern in 2028.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration doubled down on its attacks on Harvard, revealing that it would slash contracts worth approximately $100 million with Harvard after the university refused to back down to the president’s demands.
Last week, Harvard announced that it was suing the WhiteHouse for “a blatant violation of the First Amendment” after the attempted elimination of the F-1 student visa exchange program.
Just a month earlier, Harvard’s lawyers released a statement defending the institution after Trump demanded they crack down on antisemitism, writing: “The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government,” they said.
“Accordingly, Harvard will not accept the government’s terms as an agreement in principle.”
The university stated that it would remain “open to dialogue about what the university has done and is planning to do.” It refused to yield to the demands of the Trump administration.
The Independent contacted Harvard and First Lady Melania Trump for comment.
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