Kyle Rittenhouse claimed he plans to attend Texas A&M University, but university officials said Monday he has not been admitted as a student.
During a near three-minute appearance on “The Charlie Kirk Show,” a conservative podcast, Rittenhouse put on a Texas A&M cap and told the host he will attend the university.
“I’m going to be going there. It’s going to be awesome,” Rittenhouse said during the episode, which aired Friday on YouTube. “Beautiful campus, amazing people, amazing food.”
Rittenhouse, 19, went onto say he hadn’t “declared a major yet” but wants to be a pilot.
“It’s going to be an amazing experience where I can go and finally get an education,” he said. “Over the past six months, I’ve been out having fun, living my life being a free man. Now it’s time to go and get an education, get good grades, and be successful in life.”
The College Station-based school soon debunked his claim.
“He is not a student this summer and has not been admitted as a student this fall,” Texas A&M spokesperson Kelly Brown told USA TODAY.
The deadline to apply for the fall semester was in March.
Citing privacy issues, Brown did not verify whether Rittenhouse applied to the school.
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During violent protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2020, Rittenhouse killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 28.
He was 17 at the time.
In 2021, a jury acquitted Rittenhouse of all charges in the case after he argued he acted in self-defense.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
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