Washington - The White House announced Monday that Joshua Trump, a sixth-grader from Delaware who has been bullied at school because of his last name, will be among the presidential guests for the State of the Union address.
Joshua Trump, 11, from Wilmington, Delaware, is not related to the first family. Newsweek and other news outlets reported last year that Joshua has been ridiculed on the school bus and elsewhere, to the point that he began using a different last name.
"Unfortunately, Joshua has been bullied in school due to his last name," a White House statement said. "He is thankful to the First Lady and the Trump family for their support."
Melania Trump has said she will focus on countering online bullying as first lady. The first family typically invites guests to the annual State of the Union speech to highlight causes or individuals whose circumstances illustrate the president's priorities.
The White House said other guests will include a survivor of the mass shooting at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh last year, the family of an elderly Nevada couple allegedly killed by an undocumented immigrant, and a woman sentenced to life imprisonment for a drug offense and granted clemency by Trump.