Donald Trump set his legal woes aside for the morning as he jetted into Florida Friday to see youngest son Barron graduate high school.
The former President was joined by wife Melania to watch their 18-year-old son and his Class of 2024 pals enjoy their big day at exclusive Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach.
Families took their seats in the bleachers under the watchful eye of two police snipers perched above the announcers’ box. US Marshalls and deputies from the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office patrolled the highway and taped off the sidewalk as they prepared for Trump’s arrival.
The unprecedented scenes for a high school graduation did not prevent the smartly-dressed attendees from enjoying themselves as they chatted and smiled with the school band playing Verdi in the background.
The President and his ten-vehicle Secret Service motorcade pulled into the school with just minutes to spare, entering a heavily guarded exit straight behind the football field.
There was a brief glimpse of Trump, in a dark suit, white shirt and blue tie, eliciting a round of applause from the crowd.
He took his seat at the very front of the bleachers next to Melania, wearing a navy blazer and a straw hat, and her father Viktor Knavs.
Donald Trump was joined by wife Melania to watch their 18-year-old son Barron and his Class of 2024 pals enjoy their big day at exclusive Oxbridge Academy on Friday. Melania’s father Viktor also attended
![Trump took his seat at the very front of the bleachers next to Melania, wearing a navy blazer and a straw hat, and her father Viktor Knavs](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/17/15/85007379-13430397-image-m-4_1715956674877.jpg)
Trump took his seat at the very front of the bleachers next to Melania, wearing a navy blazer and a straw hat, and her father Viktor Knavs
![Barron Trump, 18, graduated from exclusive Oxbridge Academy on Friday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/17/14/85004011-0-image-m-35_1715952122466.jpg)
Barron Trump, 18, graduated from exclusive Oxbridge Academy on Friday
![Barron attends Oxbridge Academy, a private school with chef-prepared lunches and a flight simulator](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/17/14/84975727-0-Barron_attends_Oxbridge_Academy_a_private_school_with_chef_prepa-a-27_1715951746515.jpg)
Barron attends Oxbridge Academy, a private school with chef-prepared lunches and a flight simulator
Barron’s years at the elite private school in West Palm Beach have been shrouded in secrecy with the former First Lady determined to keep her 6 ft, 7 in. son out of the limelight.
But Oxbridge was thrust into the pubic eye last month when Trump, 77, petitioned New York judge Juan Merchan to pause his ‘hush money trial’ so he could attend the 10am ceremony.
Merchan eventually granted the former President’s request to have the day off, paving the way for today’s flying visit. The trial is due to restart Monday.
The ceremony began with the school choir performing America The Beautiful. The master of ceremonies kicked things off by welcoming parents and graduates.
‘I want to give a special welcome to the President and Mrs. Trump,’ he added, drawing applause.
The schools founder, William Koch, couldn’t make it but sent his best his wishes, he added. ‘You have excelled in sports and academics and made friends that will last a lifetime,’ the MC went on, addressing the graduating students, who wore traditional navy blue caps and gowns and hats despite the 85f heat.
‘We are all so very proud of you’ Cars routinely beeped their horns as they drove past the school.
Trump is due to travel to St. Paul, Minnesota later Friday for a 5pm fundraising dinner but campaign aides told DailyMail.com there was never any possibility of him skipping Barron’s graduation.
Oxbridge, a college prep school for grades six through 12, was founded in 2011 by billionaire William Koch, the brother of GOP mega-donors Charles and David Koch.
Classes at the 54-acre site were cancelled for the day so staff could ‘focus solely’ on the ceremony, with media barred from attending and admission strictly limited to ‘invitation only’.
The families of the 116 graduates were asked to arrive several hours early to undergo a Secret Service security screening before taking their seats on the football field.
With Friday’s graduation wrapped up, attention will now turn to Barron’s next steps.
![There was a brief glimpse of Trump, in a dark suit, white shirt and blue tie, eliciting a round of applause from the crowd](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/17/15/85007391-13430397-There_was_a_brief_glimpse_of_Trump_in_a_dark_suit_white_shirt_an-m-8_1715956844790.jpg)
There was a brief glimpse of Trump, in a dark suit, white shirt and blue tie, eliciting a round of applause from the crowd
![The President and his ten-vehicle Secret Service motorcade pulled into the school with just minutes to spare, entering a heavily guarded exit straight behind the football field](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/17/15/85007403-13430397-image-a-5_1715956750589.jpg)
The President and his ten-vehicle Secret Service motorcade pulled into the school with just minutes to spare, entering a heavily guarded exit straight behind the football field
![US Marshalls and deputies from the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office patrolled the highway and taped off the sidewalk as they prepared for Trump's arrival](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/17/15/85007387-13430397-image-a-6_1715956755459.jpg)
US Marshalls and deputies from the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office patrolled the highway and taped off the sidewalk as they prepared for Trump’s arrival
DailyMail.com revealed last week how the youngest of Trump’s five kids has quietly blossomed into an engaging young man who has leading conservatives purring over his charm and political acumen.
Despite never uttering a word in public he’s nonetheless a staunch supporter of the Trump 2024 campaign and has even expressed interest in a career in politics, insiders say.
One went as far as tipping him for a future Presidential run, adding: ‘Why not? He has the Trump genes.’
It was reported earlier this month that Barron would be a Florida delegate at this July’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee until Melania, 54, announced her son was ‘honored’ by the selection but 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 kids Ivanka, Donald Trump Jr. and Tiffany also studied.
Barron was also rumored to be considering NYU in a move that could see Melania move back 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 the recent unrest on liberal college campuses could play a role in his son’s decision-making.
‘Right now, he’s doing a great job. He has great marks. He’s going to be going to college soon. And we’re looking at some colleges that are different [than] they were two months ago,’ he said in a clip posted to X.
![Court was put on hold in New York so Donald Trump could travel to Florida to attend his son's graduation](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/17/15/84975735-13430397-Court_was_put_on_hold_in_New_York_so_Donald_Trump_could_travel_t-a-1_1715955817551.jpg)
Court was put on hold in New York so Donald Trump could travel to Florida to attend his son’s graduation
![There was a rare sighting of the strapping Trump scion on the school's Instagram page on April 12 when he was spotted at the back of a photo taken at a Monte Carlo-themed prom for his fellow Class of 24 students.at his high school prom](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/17/14/84617569-0-Barron_Trump_above_at_his_high_school_prom-a-31_1715952048803.jpg)
There was a rare sighting of the strapping Trump scion on the school’s Instagram page on April 12 when he was spotted at the back of a photo taken at a Monte Carlo-themed prom for his fellow Class of 24 students.at his high school prom
![Barron has used his newfound freedom to schmooze a cadre of high-profile conservative figures, recently inviting the Iranian-American business mogul Patrick Bet-David to Mar-a-Lago](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/17/14/84615799-0-Bo_Loudon_right_an_up_and_coming_conservative_influencer_is_the_-a-32_1715952097660.jpg)
Barron has used his newfound freedom to schmooze a cadre of high-profile conservative figures, recently inviting the Iranian-American business mogul Patrick Bet-David to Mar-a-Lago
DailyMail.com reported last month super-protective Melania is slowly giving Barron more space ‘to be his own man’ after he turned 18 in March.
Barron has used his newfound freedom to schmooze a cadre of high-profile conservative figures, recently inviting the Iranian-American business mogul Patrick Bet-David to Mar-a-Lago.
Bet-David, worth an estimated $450 million, was impressed enough to tell listeners of his PDB podcast afterwards that his young host was ‘sharp, funny, sarcastic, tough – not weak.’
Also invited to last month’s intimate dinner was the Trump-supporting MMA fighter, Colby Covington, entrepreneur Justin Waller – a business partner of the controversial internet personality Andrew Tate – and 17-year-old Bo Loudon, Barron’s best friend.
He is said to be ‘inseparable’ from Bo, an up-and-coming conservative influencer who is the son of TV personality Dr Gina Loudon and former Missouri state senator, John William Loudon.
Barron, Trump’s fifth child and Melania’s first, was born the year after their 2005 wedding. He spent his early childhood in New York, attending various prestigious private schools.
Before relocating to Washington, D.C. Barron took his entire class from Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School 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 Episcopal School in Maryland, played for D.C. United’s under 12 team soccer team, and met the franchise’s biggest star, former England striker Wayne Rooney.
Melania ensured her young son stayed out of the limelight during the Trump Presidency though he was periodically targeted by social media trolls for supposedly looking bored or withdrawn.
Rosie O’Donnell was forced to walk back a 2016 tweet that speculated without evidence that Barron, aged ten at the time, could be autistic.
Even Chelsea Clinton came to his defense when a 2017 Daily Caller article criticized the youngster’s clothes for being too casual for the son of the Commander in Chief.
‘It’s high time the media & everyone leave Barron Trump alone and let him have the private childhood he deserves,’ the former First Daughter pleaded.
![Barron’s years at the elite private school in West Palm Beach have been shrouded in secrecy with the former First Lady determined to keep her boy out of the private eye](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/17/14/85003995-13430397-Barron_s_years_at_the_elite_private_school_in_West_Palm_Beach_ha-m-1_1715954272643.jpg)
Barron’s years at the elite private school in West Palm Beach have been shrouded in secrecy with the former First Lady determined to keep her boy out of the private eye
Since 2021 Barron has lived in Florida and attended Oxbridge Academy, where the privacy of its 610 mostly well-heeled students is so fiercely guarded that staff are required to sign non-disclosure agreements.
The school boasts that 100 percent of its students have been accepted into four-year colleges and universities, with graduates winning places at Cornell, UCLA, Vanderbilt and Howard University among others.
Though small by Florida standards, it boasts of 24 varsity teams, equestrian and sailing programs and an aviation school with a full-motion flight simulator.
Barron isn’t listed on any of the rosters but he’s known to have a huge interest in soccer and computers.
There was a rare sighting of the strapping Trump scion on the school’s Instagram page on April 12 when he was spotted at the back of a photo taken at a Monte Carlo-themed prom for his fellow Class of 24 students.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk