Photo: Getty Images
Kaya Walker, the former president of New York University's College Republican club who was forced to resign over controversial comments about Barron Trump, the son of President Donald Trump, addressed the incident publicly for the first time in an exclusive interview with the New York Post.
“I’ve been killing myself trying to support the conservative movement,” Walker said. “Everybody knows that it’s an uphill battle being a Republican at NYU.
“I’ve put my everything into building up my chapter,” she 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.”
Walker previously spoke to Vanity Fair for a feature piece on Barron and told the magazine that the younger Trump was "sort of like an oddity on campus," claiming, "he goes to class, he goes home." The X account for the conservative news outlet AF Post posted Walker's quotes on its X account, which were met with backlash from Republicans.
“[AF Post] took it to say that I was saying that Barron was strange for being a commuter — which I thought was crazy because I’m a commuter,” Walker told the New York Post.
“They [made it] look like I was calling the president’s son weird, but I feel like anybody who can read would know that’s not what I was doing,” she said.
Walker's comments were deemed by national CRA leadership as "inappropriate" and against "the values and principles upheld by our organization." CRA President Will Donahue then reached out to Trump about joining the club in its efforts in "shaping the future of our party" in a statement obtained by the New York Post.
“Barron Trump represents the future of the conservative movement and we would be honored to have him join College Republicans of America,” Donahue said. “Strong leadership is built on resilience, courage, and the humility to rise above petty hostility — qualities that Barron has already demonstrated.”
Donahue added that CRA broke its 100-year precedent by endorsing Trump prior to the Republican party.
“Our support for President Trump is, and has been, a pillar of our organization,” the statement reads.
Trump arrived on the NYU campus in September flanked by security guards during his first day of classes. First Lady Melania Trump had previously told FOX & Friends that she didn't think it would be possible for her son to have a normal college experience.
“I don’t think it’s possible for him to be a normal student. His experience at college — it’s very different than any other kid,” she said. “I’m very proud [of] how he’s handling [it]. He’s very strong and he knows that he’s in a different position than other children.”
President Trump previously revealed that his teenage son was influential in him doing interviews on podcasts targeting a younger male demographic, which included appearances on the Joe Rogan Experience, This Past Weekend with Theo Von, Flagrant with comedian Andrew Schulz, Logan Paul's Impaulsive and Barstool Sports' Bussin' with the Boys.