Former First Lady Melania Trump claims her son, Barron, was denied a new bank account because of a political "cancel mob," in early 2021, weeks after the family left the White House, which she said led to "serious concerns about civil rights violations."
“I was shocked and dismayed to learn that my long-time bank decided to terminate my account and deny my son the opportunity to open a new one,” she wrote in her new memoir, Melania, released this week via the New York Post.
“This decision appeared to be rooted in political discrimination, raising serious concerns about civil rights violations.”
The former first lady didn't specifically name the bank she was referencing, but said the "troubling" incident was part of a "venom of cancel culture" experienced by her family after the January 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol carried out by supporters of her husband, former President Donald Trump, following his loss in the 2020 presidential election. Melania also claimed that the alleged cancel culture targeting her family stated to escalate "unchecked," which included prohibiting her from carrying out charity work and securing business deals.
“The ‘cancel mob’ now includes corporations, traditional media, influential social media figures, and cultural institutions,” she wrote. “This disheartening trend reflects the current socio-political landscape in the United States.”
“The cancellation continues — an attitude by businesses both big and small that never ceases to surprise me,” she added. “It is ironic that my business acumen is criticized, while other former government officials receive praise for similar endeavors, such as security multimillion-dollar media deals. This disparity can only be explained by biases related to my last name and political affiliation.”
Barron, now 18, recently began college at New York University. In May, Barron was reported to have declined an offer to serve as a Florida delegate to the Republican National Convention, which would've marked his official jump into the political arena, due to "prior commitments," according to a statement shared by the office of his mother to the New York Post.
The teenager would have joined his half-siblings Don Jr., Eric and Tiffany in representing the state's 41 at-large delegates, according to Florida GOP chair Evan Power.