Kaya Walker, president of New York University’s (NYU) College Republicans chapter, has resigned after allegedly making “inappropriate” remarks about President Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron Trump.
Kaya’s exact words about her fellow NYU student were, “He’s sort of like an oddity on campus,” adding, “He goes to class, he goes home.” Her remarks were featured in a Vanity Fair article published this month, while America First (AF) Post shared Kaya’s words and image on X.
The night before Donald’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025, conservative activist CJ Pearson, 22, hosted a party to honor influencers who supported the president. The following week, CJ received an email from NYU journalism student Julia Diorio.
President of NYU college Republicans forced to resign after bizarre comments about Barron Trump
Oops pic.twitter.com/7tcSftAkOx
— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) February 18, 2025
Julia was interested in interviewing CJ for the Washington Square News, but given his ties to Barron, he quickly advised her not to approach him. However, his concern was unnecessary, as Julia had never seen the 18-year-old freshman despite his status as NYU’s most famous student.
Still, she had grown accustomed to friends and family asking about Barron, an NYU’s Stern School of Business student. As the arts editor of the school’s newspaper, Julia and her colleagues rarely covered his presence on campus.
BREAKING: NYU College Republicans President Kaya Walker just resigned after facing huge backlash for calling Barron Trump an “oddity on campus” and further saying, “He goes to class, he goes home.”
They released a statement saying, “We have been made aware of a statement made by… pic.twitter.com/NQBssGYi8c
— George (@BehizyTweets) February 17, 2025
On the other hand, Kaya was somewhat bothered by the attention surrounding him. She believed he deserved a more typical college experience. The student even recalled one of her professors joking about Barron, saying, “He doesn’t really belong here.”
In a February 17 announcement regarding Kaya’s resignation, the College Republicans of America said their former president’s statement “does not align with the values and principles” upheld by their organization.
Their statement continued, “Though Vanity Fair and The Independent unfairly framed what was said, upon review, we still found it to be inappropriate.” Kaya submitted her resignation on February 16, with the organization formally inviting the 6’7″ famous freshman to join them in “reshaping the Republican Party.”
According to the New York Post, Kaya was “forced to resign” for her comments. Social media users were divided on the issue, with one person writing, “She shouldn’t have been forced to resign. I bet he is an oddity indeed.”
Another user, reacting to the news, said, “They forced her to resign? I knew something was about to happen.” Someone else asked, “Would you trust people like this? She immediately ran to the press.”
One person questioned Kaya’s statement, writing, “‘Oddity’. [sic] He literally just goes to college and goes home like a normal person.” Meanwhile, a Barron supporter noted, “He’s a good kid. A very focused young adult. I suppose that is an oddity in today’s culture.”
Defending the president’s son, an X user stated, “He’s has [sic] a big target on his back. If other students can’t see the risk taken for him to have normalcy by going to college they aren’t paying attention. Look at the volatility on college campuses these days, trust no one.”
One person was upset by Kaya’s remarks and said, “She should mind her own business.” Another questioned, “Well she joked that professors say he doesn’t belong there. Why would she target him or speak to the press about him?” Believing Kaya’s intent was opportunistic, another user wrote, “Not the way to get your name in the paper.”
Since the announcement of her departure, Kaya has spoken to the New York Post, and she admitted, “I’ve been killing myself trying to support the conservative movement.”
The college senior continued, “I’ve put my everything into building up my chapter,” and added, “I built [attendance] up exponentially. It’s been insane, especially this past year. We’ve seen such a rise in membership and had such a great time.”
The president’s youngest child was first seen on campus on February 4 — his first public appearance since his father’s inauguration. During his New York outing, Barron wore a cream-colored sweater over a white polo shirt.
He paired the look with black pants and black-and-white Adidas sneakers while carrying a backpack. Though his behavior appeared normal, netizens focused on his appearance, with some making harsh comments about his hands.
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Instagram users quickly shared their thoughts, with one person mocking, “He’s got baby hands awwww.” Another responded, “Just like daddy.” Many echoed the sentiment, with a third noting, “He has tiny hands too☝️,” while another user added, “[He’s] got his daddy’s hands.”
“He’s got small hands like his dad,” commented someone else, while another netizen laughed, writing, “Little hands 😂.” After seeing Barron’s images on X, formerly known as Twitter, one person joked, “Look at those lady hands lol. [sic]”
Another Instagram user pointed out additional similarities between Barron and his father, stating, “He looks like young Trump on maximum settings 😅💪🇺🇲.” One Instagrammer wrote, “Lookin like his daddy 😊,” while an X user praised him, saying, “Looking good. I like how he is dressed! Very impressive young man!”
For his first day back on campus, Barron was escorted by a security detail from Trump Tower. He and his mother, First Lady Melania Trump, primarily reside in the building rather than the White House.
The teenager traveled in a motorcade of five SUVs to Greenwich Village, with the area closely monitored by the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Secret Service as Barron Trump walked onto campus.
