Baron Trump, the youngest son of Donald Trump, is poised to step into the political spotlight through his role at the Republican National Convention in July.
Delegates from across the United States are set to officially nominate the party’s presidential candidate at the gathering to be held in Wisconsin, where Baron’s father is expected to attend.
The 18-year-old has been named on the public delegate list to attend the event in Florida.
Previously, Baron, largely kept away from public view by his mother Melania, was not prominently featured.
Baron, the only child from their nearly two-decade marriage, did not immediately move to Washington after his father’s inauguration.
He remained with his mother at their Trump Tower residence in New York to finish his school year before relocating elsewhere in the summer of 2017.
His move to the White House at the age of eleven made him the first male child to live there since John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1963.
He attended a private school in Maryland and rarely appeared in public, with reports suggesting his mother fiercely guarded his privacy.
Comments about his appearance and behavior often drew sharp rebukes from the First Lady’s office, as well as from former First Children, notably Chelsea Clinton.
Since the family’s move to Florida post-presidency, Baron has enrolled in a private school in Palm Beach and continued a remarkable growth spurt – he now stands at 6 feet 7 inches (201 cm).
The high school senior, set to graduate next week, appears on the Florida delegate list alongside several close allies of the former president, according to NBC News.
The list includes Baron’s half-siblings Eric and Donald Jr. and Tiffany, but not Ivanka, who publicly stated she would not be part of her father’s reelection campaign.
Florida Republican Party Chair Evan Power said in a statement to American media, “We are fortunate to have a great group of popular leaders, elected officials, and members of the The Trump family’s all hands on deck down here in Florida, pulling together as a tight-knit crew, part of the state delegation.
An official from Trump’s campaign told ABC News that Baron is “very interested in the political process in our country.”
The party’s convention, to be held in Milwaukee on July 15-18, will confirm Trump’s nomination as the Republican Party’s candidate in the November presidential election.
He has won enough state-level primaries, including those held in Florida, to secure the nomination. Each state and territory sends delegates to the convention to cast official votes for their presidential nominee, with Trump expected to face minimal opposition given the lack of a serious challenge.
The former president has already secured 2,037 delegates in the Republican primary elections, significantly more than the 1,215 needed to win the party’s nomination.
On the other side of the political divide, President Joe Biden is expected to be confirmed as the Democratic candidate at his party’s convention in Chicago in August, setting the stage for the first American presidential rematch since 1956 when Republican Dwight Eisenhower defeated Democrat Adlai Stevenson again.
This time, Trump juggles between his election campaign and legal battles. He faces dozens of criminal charges in four separate cases.
His first criminal trial is underway in New York City, where he’s accused of falsifying business records. He denies any wrongdoing.
He was granted special permission by the judge to spend some time outside the courtroom to attend Baron’s high school graduation ceremony next week.