Barron Trump, the 18-year-old son of former President Donald Trump, has declined the opportunity to serve as a delegate for the Republican National Convention, according to a statement from his mother Melania Trump’s office, citing “prior commitments.”
On Wednesday, the Florida GOP named Barron Trump as one of the state’s at-large delegates to the national convention in Milwaukee in mid-July. This selection was seen as a rare political involvement for the former president’s youngest son, who is currently a high school senior set to graduate next week.
However, in a statement on Friday, the office of the former first lady said, “While Barron is honored to have been chosen as a delegate by the Florida Republican Party, he regretfully declines to participate due to prior commitments.”
Barron Trump, who was 10 years old when his father became president, has generally maintained a lower profile compared to other members of the Trump family. The Florida delegate list includes several other Trump family members, such as Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Tiffany Trump, while Ivanka Trump is not on the list.
In an interview earlier this week, Donald Trump expressed his view on Barron’s delegate selection, stating, “To me, that’s very cute, because he’s a very young guy, and he’s graduating from high school this year. He’s a very good student, very smart.”
During a radio interview on Friday, Donald Trump mentioned that Barron “does like politics” and sometimes offers him advice.
Barron Trump’s upcoming high school graduation from Oxbridge Academy, a private school in Florida, has also been briefly discussed during his father’s ongoing trial in New York. Donald Trump received permission from the judge to attend the graduation ceremony on May 17.
Barron Trump was among 41 at-large delegates named by the Republican Party of Florida to formally select their party’s presidential nominee at the Milwaukee convention. The state party has not yet responded regarding who will replace Barron as an alternate delegate.