Trump has high praises for the Excelsior Scholarship Program

Francis Boeck, Managing/Sports Editor

New York’s Excelsior Scholarship program has a new and unlikely supporter.

President Donald Trump told reporters on the South Lawn Friday that he is a big fan of the program that was passed just last year.

“I would like to say that I’m extremely proud to be from New York,” Trump said. “I just found out that they have this scholarship that allows for kids from middle class families to go to state schools for free. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before.”

Trump went on to say he found out about the program when he was talking to his son, Barron, about colleges this week.

“Barron and I were doing research on the SUNY school system the other night and we read about this great program,” Trump said. “It’s tremendous. I looked at Baron and said, ‘you may want to think about taking advantage of this’.”

The Excelsior Scholarship is a state aid program that allows every New York state resident whose family makes $100,000 a year or less to attend a SUNY or CUNY school tuition-free as long as they planned to stay in the state for as many years as they used the assistance following graduation. The income cap will rise to $125,000 by 2019.

According to Trump, Barron has expressed interest in becoming a journalist. He said that the communications program at SUNY Buffalo State really interested him.

“When (Barron) grows up wants to become a reporter and expose the fake news,” Trump said proudly. “I’m also told that the off-campus housing at Buff State is amazing.”