Melania Trump's Office Says Barron Declined Offer to Be an RNC Delegate Due to 'Prior Commitments'
Donald Trump and wife Melania's son, Barron, was offered the chance to be a Florida delegate at the Republican National Convention but will not be taking on the role after all, RadarOnline.com has learned.
"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," read a statement shared by Melania's office on Friday.
No further details were provided and it's unclear whether or not Barron will be attending. Among the other delegates listed are family members including Donald Trump Jr., his fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle, Eric Trump, Tiffany Boulos (née Trump), and husband Michael Boulos.
As we previously reported, the 18-year-old was elected as a delegate to help formally nominate his father as the Republican presidential nominee just a few months after graduating high school. The Milwaukee GOP convention in July was anticipated to be his potential political debut.
"Barron is very interested in our nation's political process," said an insider on Thursday, according to NPR.
"The Trump family might be trying to position themselves as the next dynasty," suggested Julian Zelizer, a professor of political history at Princeton University, in the May 9 report. "It signals that they have their eye on the future, that this was not just a one-shot deal," Zelizer added. "Will there be more Trumps in politics? ... This just adds to that speculation."
The statement shared on Barron's behalf was given to Daily Mail this afternoon.
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Some believe it could be a choice to protect his privacy months after former NBC News executive Mike Sington said Barron was "fair game" now that he is a legal adult in the U.S., later deleting that tweet after facing backlash on social media.
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An insider told RadarOnline.com last summer that "Melania has been incredibly protective of Barron and has told Donald she would not stand for him to be exploited by anyone," with a source claiming that also included the embattled GOP frontrunner.
Barron was notably defended by former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton back in March. "I think he's a private citizen," she said on The View. "I feel so strongly that if you are a private citizen, you have an unimpeachable right to privacy, and I think the media should leave him alone."