Former President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, is set to graduate from high school this week amid speculation about where he plans to attend college in the fall.
Barron is graduating from Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday morning. His father is expected to be in attendance after Judge Juan Merchan agreed to pause court proceedings in New York, where he is attending his criminal hush money trial, for the day to allow him to attend the ceremony.
This comes after weeks of questions about Barron's future plans. However, the Trump family has kept mum about where he plans to go to college. At 18, Barron is the youngest child of the family and has kept a lower profile than his parents or siblings in the media, though many of the former president's supporters and critics have speculated about his plans after high school.
During an event at Mar-a-Lago earlier in May, Trump gave the latest update about his son's college plans.
"Right now, he's doing a great job. He has great marks. He's going to be going to college soon. And we're looking at some colleges that are different [than] they were two months ago," Trump said during the NFT event on May 9, according to a video posted to X, formerly Twitter.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign for comment via email.
Meanwhile, former first lady Melania Trump's office released a statement stating that despite an announcement that Barron would serve as a delegate at the Republican National Convention in July alongside other members of the family, he would not be in attendance.
"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," her office said on May 10, without expanding on what these commitments are.
The statement came after Barron faced a wave of ridicule and criticism after the initial plans for him to become a delegate were announced. Trump critics argued that, due to his entry into politics, he was now "fair game" for criticism.
The former president has previously made other comments hinting at possible plans for Barron.
In a September 2023 interview with Megyn Kelly, he said Barron was "thinking about" attending his alma mater, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, adding that Barron is a "great student" and athlete.
Three of Trump's other children, Ivanka, Tiffany, and Donald Jr., also attended the University of Pennsylvania.
In April, the Daily Beast reported that Barron was considering attending New York University in Manhattan. However, that report was based on anonymous sources and it hasn't been confirmed by either the Trump family or the college.
Colleges do not typically reveal students' admission decisions, but Newsweek previously reached out to NYU for comment via email.
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About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more