Melania Trump Shuts Down Rumors That Son, Barron, Was Rejected From Harvard
Social media fueled speculation about whether Harvard could have rejected an application from the president’s son amid Trump’s battle with the university.
First Lady Melania Trump on Tuesday uncharacteristically stepped into the brouhaha surrounding the Trump administration’s campaign against elite universities when she responded to a flurry of unsubstantiated rumors on social media that her 19-year-old son, Barron, was rejected by Harvard University.
“Barron did not apply to Harvard, and any assertion that he, or that anyone on his behalf, applied is completely false,” Nicholas Clemens, spokesperson for the Office of the First Lady, said in a statement.
The statement comes as the Trump administration ratchets up its battle with Harvard, which the Trump administration claims (along with other higher education institutions) hasn’t done enough to stop antisemitism and that the school uses diversity to admit “woke” applicants. The government has frozen more than $3 billion in grants and contracts, according to The New York Times.
In trying to understand the president’s targeting of Harvard, many social media users asserted that Barron Trump’s attendance to New York University this last fall may be because he was rejected by Harvard, claims made with no evidence. The rumor may have been fueled by an X post by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, when he posted on April, 17, 2025: “Can’t help but wonder how many Trumps got rejected by Harvard.”
This is not the first time Mrs. Trump has protected her son. A year ago, Mrs. Trump rebuffed an invitation for her then 18-year-old son to serve as a Florida delegate at the GOP convention later that summer.
“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,” she said in a statement released by her personal office.
During the Trump first term, the first lady was outspoken about protecting her then young son and in an interview with Sean Hannity on FOX News she remarked candidly about the potential for Barron, 12 at the time, being swept up in media coverage.
“It does make me angry, because children should be off limits,” Mrs. Trump said during the interview. “I protect him, and I want to give him as normal a life as possible. This is not a normal life, but I like to protect him and give him the childhood he deserves.”