Joshua Trump: Schoolboy bullied over surname wins acclaim after falling asleep at State of the Union

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An 11-year-old boy who was bullied for his last name, Trump, has been celebrated on social media after he was pictured falling asleep during Donald Trump‘s State of the Union address.

Joshua Trump, a sixth-grade student from Delaware who had to drop out of school, had been invited to the event on Tuesday by first lady Melania Trump.

He sat two seats along from Ms Trump during the address, and could be seen snoozing as the president renewed his call for a border wall and characterised illegal immigration as a threat to Americans’ safety and economic security.

“JOSHUA TRUMP RULES,” one person wrote on Twitter, alongside an image of the sleeping schoolboy.

“Joshua Trump, welcome to the resistance,” another wrote.

One person shared the picture and joked: “Joshua Trump enjoying some ‘executive time’ during the State of the Union.”

Their quip was a reference to Mr Trump’s “executive time”, which he spent nearly 60 per cent of his scheduled time in the White House over the last three months enjoying, according to a leaked schedule.

Joshua dropped out of school because of the abuse he received about his last name.

The bullying persisted when he returned for middle school.

His mother, Megan Trump, even signed him up to a different school bus to avoid bullies – but on the first day the driver asked about his last name.

After Joshua’s story came to Melania Trump’s attention she invited him to attend her husband's State of the Union address.

“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.”

Ms Trump has championed anti-bullying efforts in her role as first lady.