As parents across the country prepare to send their children back to school in the midst of a global pandemic, recent reports that President Donald Trump‘s 14-year-old son Barron Trump would not be returning for in-person classes set social media ablaze. The president has long been a proponent of schools reopening, despite surging cases across the country, and many felt it hypocritical that the president’s own son would not be returning.
Currently scheduled to enter the 9th grade at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, a private school in Potomac, Maryland, Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles announced Friday that all private schools in the county remain closed to in-person classes until at least Oct. 1. In a statement, Gayles cited an increase in transmission rates in the state and said that “this step is necessary to protect the health and safety of Montgomery County residents.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
According to CNN, Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan on Monday overruled that order. Issuing an emergency order that reversed that mandate, Hogan said that the decision to reopen in-person is up to individual schools and parents. At this time, it is unclear if Barron’s school will reopen for in-person classes. The school’s academic year is scheduled to start in early September, and a previous letter sent to parents said that a final decision would be made the week of Aug. 10. Still, reports that Barron would not be returning did not settle well with social media, who felt that the president was hypocritical in his stance on reopening schools.
Trump says open the schools, but his son’s isn’t.
— ken olin (@kenolin1) August 3, 2020
Trump says churches should be open, but he never goes.
Trump says with less testing there’d be fewer cases, but he’s tested every day & so is everyone around him.
Basically, Trump says a lot of bullshit. https://t.co/lwahhshqWq
Barron’s school will be closed because it’s not safe, but he’s perfectly fine risking other people’s children as long as he is insulated and has daily testing. https://t.co/R7N4srza2r
— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) August 3, 2020
🟥 UNSAFE TO REOPEN: Barron Trump’s school
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) July 26, 2020
🟩 SAFE TO REOPEN: Every other school
My children will not be guinea pigs for Trump.
— Mrs. Krassenstein (@HKrassenstein) August 3, 2020
If Trump wants a guinea pig, he can send Barron back to school!
Who’s with me?
If it’s not safe for Barron to go back to school, it’s not safe for any kids to go back to school. https://t.co/vCbv9kliBT
— Hamish Mitchell (@H_MitchellPhoto) August 1, 2020
Who had Barron’s school remaining closed on their bingo card? pic.twitter.com/bOrk21Lm5t
— Lynese Wallace (@lynesewallace) August 4, 2020
Just a reminder that Barron Trump won’t be attending school in-person in the fall. https://t.co/igAQ0O6DNo
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen podcast (@NoLieWithBTC) August 4, 2020
Americans don’t care who dies.
— God (@thegoodgodabove) August 4, 2020
22 Marlins baseball players infected? Play ball!
158,000 people dead? Reopen everything!
4 million people infected? Send kids back to school!*
*Not Barron.
But everyone else should send their kids. Seems fair. https://t.co/m29B4WE6da
— GreG GrunberG (@greggrunberg) August 3, 2020
This is so typical of Trump:
— Bill Madden (@maddenifico) August 3, 2020
Trump votes by mail, but doesn’t think anybody else should.
Trump thinks all schools should open up, but it’s appropriate that Barron’s school remains closed.
Trump’s back-to-school reopening plan: Send Barron to the bunker. Send your kid into a pandemic.
— Bleeding Heart Liberal Marine (@BleedingMarine) August 3, 2020
Barron Trump won’t be attending in-person classes this fall, your child shouldn’t either.
— Covie (@roper_93) August 3, 2020
He wants to prevent immigrants from entering US except for Melania and her parents. He wants kids to be forced back to school except for Barron. He wants us to follow Law and Order except when it comes to his actions. #Biden2020 #Biden
— Buddy Winston (@BuddyWinston) August 3, 2020
Barron won’t be attending school because Covid.
— ✧ 😷 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕚 😷 ✧ (@DemocratsCare) August 3, 2020
Ivanka’s kids won’t be attending school because Covid.
But trump/GOP/DeVos demand that YOUR kids go to school because they don’t care if your kids become ill & die. Or perhaps that’s what they want.
How else can you explain this? pic.twitter.com/iWrid1tBMU