Donald Trump put his legal woes aside in the morning as he flew to Florida on Friday to see his youngest son, Barron, graduate from high school.
The former president was joined by his wife Melania to watch their 18-year-old son and his friends from the Class of 2024 enjoy their big day at the exclusive Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach.
The families took their seats in the stands under the watchful eye of two police snipers positioned above the announcers’ box. U.S. Marshals and Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office deputies patrolled the road and cordoned off the sidewalk as they prepared for Trump’s arrival.
The unprecedented scenes for a high school graduation didn’t stop the elegantly dressed attendees from having fun while chatting and smiling with the school band playing Verdi in the background.
The president and his motorcade of ten Secret Service vehicles entered the school just minutes earlier, entering through a heavily guarded exit just behind the football field.
There was a brief glimpse of Trump, in a dark suit, white shirt and blue tie, drawing applause from the crowd.
He took a seat at the front of the stands next to Melania, dressed in a navy blue jacket and a straw hat, and her father Viktor Knavs.
Donald Trump was joined by his wife Melania to watch their son Barron, 18, and his friends from the Class of 2024 enjoy their big day at the exclusive Oxbridge Academy on Friday. Melania’s father, Viktor, also attended.
Barron Trump, 18, graduated from the exclusive Oxbridge Academy on Friday
Barron attends Oxbridge Academy, a private school with chef-prepared lunches and a flight simulator.
Barron’s years at the elite West Palm Beach private school have been shrouded in secrecy and the former First Lady is determined to keep her 6-foot-7-inch son out of the spotlight.
But Oxbridge rose to prominence last month when Trump, 77, asked a New York judge to suspend his “hush money trial” so he could attend the 10am ceremony.
Trump will travel to St. Paul, Minnesota later today for a 5:00 p.m. fundraising dinner, but campaign aides told DailyMail.com there was never any chance he would skip Barron’s graduation.
Oxbridge, a college preparatory school for grades 6 through 12, was founded in 2011 by billionaire William Koch, brother of Republican megadonors Charles and David Koch.
Classes at the 54-acre site were canceled that day so staff could “solely concentrate” on the ceremony, media was prohibited from attending, and entry was strictly limited to “by invitation only.”
Families of the 116 graduates were asked to arrive several hours early to pass a Secret Service security check before taking their seats on the football field.
With Friday’s graduation over, attention will now turn to Barron’s next steps.
DailyMail.com revealed last week how the youngest of Trump’s five children has quietly grown into an attractive young man who has leading conservatives purring for his charm and political acumen.
Despite never uttering a word in public, he is a strong supporter of the Trump 2024 campaign and has even expressed interest in a career in politics, insiders say.
One even suggested he run for president in the future, adding, “Why not?” He has Trump genes.”
It was reported earlier this month that Barron would be a Florida delegate to July’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee until Melania, 54, announced that her son was “honored” by the selection but was focused on “prior commitments.” .
Trump told Megyn Kelly last year that Barron was “thinking” about attending his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, where his older children Ivanka, Donald Trump Jr. and Tiffany also attended.
Barron was also rumored to be considering New York University in a move that could see Melania return to New York with him, but nothing has been confirmed.
More recently, Trump hinted during a May 9 event at his Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach residence that recent unrest on liberal college campuses could influence his son’s decision-making.
‘Right now, he’s doing a great job. She has great grades. He will soon go to university. And we’re looking at some universities that are different. [than] It was two months ago,” he said in a clip posted on X.
Court suspended in New York so Donald Trump could travel to Florida to attend his son’s graduation
There was a rare sighting of the burly Trump scion on the school’s Instagram page on April 12 when he was seen in the back of a photo taken at a Monte Carlo-themed prom for his Class of 24 classmates. At your high school prom
Barron has used his newfound freedom to chat with a bevy of high-profile conservative figures, recently inviting Iranian-American business magnate Patrick Bet-David to Mar-a-Lago.
DailyMail.com reported last month that super-protective Melania is slowly giving Barron more room “to be his own man” after he turned 18 in March.
Barron has used his newfound freedom to chat with a bevy of high-profile conservative figures, recently inviting Iranian-American business magnate Patrick Bet-David to Mar-a-Lago.
Bet-David, worth an estimated $450 million, was impressed enough to tell listeners of his PDB podcast that his young host was “sharp, funny, sarcastic, tough, not weak.”
Also invited to last month’s intimate dinner were Trump-supporting MMA fighter Colby Covington, businessman Justin Waller, business partner of controversial internet personality Andrew Tate, and 17-year-old Bo Loudon, Trump’s best friend. Barron.
She is said to be “inseparable” from Bo, an up-and-coming conservative influencer who is the son of television personality Dr. Gina Loudon and former Missouri state senator John William Loudon.
Barron, Trump’s fifth child and Melania’s first, was born a year after their wedding in 2005. He spent his early childhood in New York, attending several prestigious private schools.
Before moving to Washington, D.C., Barron took his entire Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School class on a tour of the White House in 2017, the year his father took office.
After moving to the White House, he attended St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Maryland, played for DC United’s under-12 soccer team and met the franchise’s biggest star, former England forward Wayne Rooney.
Melania made sure her young son stayed out of the spotlight during Trump’s presidency, although he was periodically attacked by social media trolls for allegedly appearing bored or withdrawn.
Rosie O’Donnell was forced to retract a 2016 tweet that speculated without evidence that Barron, then ten years old, might be autistic.
Even Chelsea Clinton came to his defense when a 2017 Daily Caller article criticized the young man’s clothing for being too casual for the Commander in Chief’s son.
“It’s time for the media and everyone to leave Barron Trump alone and let him have the private childhood he deserves,” the former First Daughter pleaded.
Barron’s years at the elite West Palm Beach private school have been shrouded in secrecy and the former First Lady is determined to keep her son out of the private eye.
Since 2021, Barron has lived in Florida and attended Oxbridge Academy, where the privacy of its 610 mostly wealthy students is so heavily protected that staff must sign confidentiality agreements.
The school boasts that 100 percent of its students have been accepted to four-year colleges and universities, with graduates earning places at Cornell, UCLA, Vanderbilt, and Howard University.
Although small by Florida standards, it has 24 varsity teams, equestrian and sailing programs, and a flight school with a full-motion flight simulator.
Barron is not listed on any of the rosters, but is known to have a keen interest in football and computers.
There was a rare sighting of the burly Trump scion on the school’s Instagram page on April 12 when he was seen in the back of a photo taken at a Monte Carlo-themed prom for his Class of 24 classmates .
Oxbridge came into the spotlight when Trump became furious that he was unable to attend his son’s graduation due to his ongoing fraud trial in New York City.
Judge Juan Merchán finally granted the former president’s request to have the day off, paving the way for today’s quick visit.