The leader of the national organization said that the university chapter’s president had not been authorized to speak with Vanity Fair for a profile in which she said President Trump’s youngest son was “sort of like an oddity on campus.”
The New York University chapter president of the College Republicans resigned this week, yielding to pressure from the national organization after she was prominently quoted in a Vanity Fair profile saying that Barron Trump, President Trump’s youngest son, was “sort of like an oddity on campus.”
In the profile, published on Feb. 12, Kaya Walker, the chapter’s president, suggested that the president’s son, an 18-year-old freshman at N.Y.U., did not appear to be assimilating into campus life and was reclusive.
“He goes to class, he goes home,” she told the magazine.
In the interview, Ms. Walker questioned whether the university, a liberal bastion in Greenwich Village with many famous Hollywood graduates, was the right fit for Mr. Trump’s son. And, according to the magazine, she recalled how a professor had joked about his presence at N.Y.U. — “he doesn’t really belong here.”
Will Donahue, the president of the College Republicans of America, said in a statement on Tuesday that Ms. Walker had not obtained prior authorization from the national organization before speaking to Vanity Fair. Chapter presidents, he said, must get clearance before “engaging with media outlets known for editorial biases against conservative voices.”
“During the conversation, she was presented with a narrative about Barron Trump that was clearly framed in a partisan manner,” the statement said. “Rather than redirecting the inquiry to our communications team or refuting the premise, she used language that did not align with C.R.A.’s standards of professionalism and responsibility, inadvertently contributing to a misleading and negative portrayal.”
The College Republicans recommended on Sunday that Ms. Walker step down, and she did, according to the group, which also said that it was inviting Barron Trump to become a member.