President Trump invites 11-year-old boy who was bullied for his name to State of the Union
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There will be many Trumps in
the House chamber for the president's
State of the Union address Tuesday
night – but one Trump is not in the family. He's Joshua Trump, an 11-year-old
boy from Delaware who was bullied over the last name he shares with the
president. President Trump and first lady Melania Trump
invited the sixth grader to attend as their guest.
The
boy was bullied over his name so much that his parents tried homeschooling him
for a while. In December, Joshua Trump opened up to Inside
Edition about the treatment from his classmates. "When the
teacher would say, 'Joshua Trump, are you here?' Everybody would laugh except
my friends," he said.
The surname Trump is actually
his mom's maiden name, so the boy decided he would start going by his father's
last name, Berto, Inside Edition reports. "I'm tired of the
bullying," Joshua said. "I just want it to stop."
The school investigated the situation after a
meeting with the boy's parents, Talley Middle School Principal Mark Mayer told
Inside Edition. The school agreed to change Joshua's last name to Berto in
their system and they are working to insure Joshua is comfortable reporting any
future incidents of bullying.
Sharing a
surname with the president may have caused the boy pain in the past, but he is
now being recognized for it. The White House press office announced the
president's list of State of the Union guests on Monday, and Joshua Trump is on
it.
In a
statement, the White House described the sixth grader as a boy who appreciates
science, art and history, and said his "hero and best friend is his Uncle
Cody, who serves in the United States Air Force." It also said Joshua is
thankful to the president and first lady for their support.
Bullying is
an issue that first lady Melania Trump is passionate about. Her "Be
Best" campaign focuses on well-being and bullying prevention efforts for
young children across the country, and she once said she considers herself to
be one of the "most
bullied" people in the world.
The
president and first lady's guest list also
includes Alice Johnson,
who was granted clemency by President Trump after Kim Kardashian called
attention to her case. Timothy Matson, a member of the Pittsburgh SWAT team
that responded to the Tree of Life synagogue shooting, and Judah Samet, a
Holocaust survivor and member of the Tree of Life congregation, are also on the
list.
You can watch the State of
the Union address tonight on CBS News. CBSN
special coverage starts at 5 p.m. ET, and the address begins 9 p.m. ET.
First
published on February 5, 2019 © 2019 CBS
Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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