First lady Melania Trump (L) looks at her son Barron Trump after U.S. President Donald Trump delivered his acceptance speech for the Republican presidential nomination on the South Lawn of the White House August 27, 2020 in Washington, DC.
Barron Trump’s entrance onto the national political stage has at least been delayed.
Two days after the Republican Party of Florida announced he would be one of their at-large delegates to the Republican National Convention in July, which was first reported by NBC News, former first lady Melania Trump issued a statement saying he would not be participating.
“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 the statement, which was first reported by the Daily Mail.
The statement comes after Florida GOP officials on Wednesday signed off on the slate of at-large delegates that it's sending to the RNC convention in Milwaukee.
The Trump family-heavy Florida delegate slate also includes Eric Trump as delegation chair, and other family members including Donald Trump Jr. and his fiancee Kimberly Guilfoyle; and Tiffany Trump and her husband, Michael Boulos.
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Barron, though, got the majority of attention because he has not previously been a political figure.
While much of the Trump family is involved in politics, Barron for the most part has remained on the sidelines. He turned 18 in March and will graduate from high school on May 17.
Barron did not make a statement after he was selected as a delegate, and the Trump campaign did not comment when asked about his selection.
The Republican Party of Florida did not respond to a request for comment Friday about Barron bowing out. It was not immediately clear who would replace him as one of the delegates.
In an interview Friday, Donald Trump signaled he thought his youngest son was a good fit for the politically facing role.
“He does like politics. It’s sort of funny. He will tell me sometimes, ‘Dad, this is what you have to do,'” Trump told Philadelphia's Talk Radio 1210 WPHT radio station. “So anyway, he’s a good guy. He is a senior now in high school and he will be going to college.”
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