Barron Trump, 18, Graduates High School with Parents in Attendance: Photos

The Associated Press caught a glimpse of the event on Friday, which saw Donald and Melania Trump sitting front row in the audience

By People Staff
Updated on May 17, 2024 03:30PM EDT

Barron Trump has officially put high school in the rearview following an exclusive graduation ceremony on Friday, May 17.

Photographs captured by the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse on Friday morning show the 18-year-old receiving his diploma on stage, and reveal that his parents, Donald and Melania Trump, as well as his grandfather, Viktor Knavs, sat front row in the audience.

A spokesperson for Melania did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment about the celebration.

Melania Trump Will 'Keep Her Hand on Barron's Future' After He Graduates: 'He Is Her World' (Exclusive Source)
Former US President Donald Trump waves as he attends the graduation ceremony of his son, Barron Trump, at Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Florida, May 17, 2024
Donald Trump, standing beside Melania Trump, waves at his son Barron's high school graduation on May 17, 2024.

GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty

Donald was previously excused from appearing in court for his Manhattan criminal trial on Friday so that he could watch his son walk in the ceremony. He is scheduled to headline a Minnesota GOP event on Friday evening, likely cutting the family's post-graduation plans short.

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Barron Trump, son of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump and Melania Trump, receives his diploma during his graduation ceremony at Oxbridge Academy, Friday, May 17, 2024
Barron Trump, son of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, receives his diploma on May 17, 2024.

AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Barron enrolled at the elite Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Fla., after his family left the White House in 2021. He has yet to publicly announce his next steps, though his father recently confirmed that he is weighing college options.

Donald Trump Says He Needs to Pause His Criminal Trial So He Can Attend Son Barron's High School Graduation
Donald Trump, standing right with Melania Trump and her father, Viktor Knavs, attends a graduation ceremony for his son Barron at Oxbridge Academy Friday, May 17, 2024
Viktor Knavs, Melania Trump and Donald Trump attend Barron Trump's high school graduation on May 17, 2024.

AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Ahead of the graduation, a social source told PEOPLE that Melania will continue to take an active role in Barron's life as he decides his next moves.

“Melania will keep her hand on Barron’s future just as much going forward as she has throughout his early and current school years,” the source said. “He is her world. She is proud of him, and she is the primary decision maker on Barron and his future."