Melania Trump Refutes Claims Barron Was Rejected by Harvard Amid President’s Crackdown on Elite Academia

First Lady Melania Trump swiftly shut down false claims on Tuesday suggesting that President Donald Trump’s aggressive actions against Harvard University stem from personal grievance over their son Barron allegedly being denied admission.

The rumor mill kicked into high gear after left-wing voices online—and even a sitting U.S. Senator—tried to paint the President’s hard stance on Harvard as retaliation. Democrat Senator Sheldon Whitehouse fanned the flames, posting on X, “Can’t help but wonder how many Trumps were rejected by Harvard.”

That accusation was quickly debunked.

“Barron did not apply to Harvard, and any assertion that he, or that anyone on his behalf, applied is completely false,” stated Nicholas Clemens, Communications Director for Melania Trump, as reported by the New York Post.

In fact, Barron Trump is already thriving at New York University, where he recently completed his freshman year.

“He’s now going to college, got into every college he wanted to,” President Trump said last summer, according to the Palm Beach Post. “He made his choice and he is a very good guy.”

Despite attempts by political opponents to make this personal, the reality is clear: President Trump’s actions against Harvard are grounded in principle—not vengeance.

The Trump administration has mounted a sustained offensive against Harvard, citing the university’s radical DEI agenda and what it calls “institutional antisemitism” as primary reasons. Federal agencies have already been directed to cut around $100 million in government contracts with the school, according to the Associated Press.

This follows an earlier, much larger move: canceling roughly $2.6 billion in research grants previously awarded to the Ivy League institution. Harvard, unsurprisingly, is resisting every step of the way.

President Trump has been unapologetic in his mission to sever taxpayer support from what he calls a corrupt academic elite.

“I am considering taking Three Billion Dollars of Grant Money away from a very antisemitic Harvard, and giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS all across our land. What a great investment that would be for the USA, and so badly needed!!!” he wrote on Truth Social.

The President also reinforced his plan to halt foreign student admissions to Harvard until the university complies with federal disclosure demands.

“We are still waiting for the Foreign Student Lists from Harvard so that we can determine, after a ridiculous expenditure of BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, how many radicalized lunatics, troublemakers all, should not be let back into our Country,” he wrote.

“Harvard is very slow in the presentation of these documents, and probably for good reason! The best thing Harvard has going for it is that they have shopped around and found the absolute best Judge (for them!) – But have no fear, the Government will, in the end, WIN!”

The President’s pushback comes amid a deepening reputational crisis for Harvard, which has been plagued by scandal since the resignation of its former president, Claudine Gay, over allegations of plagiarism.

Now, another academic blow has landed: Harvard has fired Professor Francesca Gino and stripped her of tenure after findings of academic misconduct.

Gino, once considered a thought leader in the fields of ethics and honesty, has been accused of manipulating data to support her research claims. An investigation that began in 2023 determined that multiple studies authored by Gino included falsified results.

As the President continues his broader mission to restore integrity and accountability in America’s institutions, the battle with Harvard represents just one front in a much larger war against elitism, corruption, and ideological extremism.