The attempted assassination of Donald Trump shocked the world and horrified the nation. In the moments following the attack, many were thinking of the president's family, especially his young son Barron, and wondering if he was there to see the violent scene play out.
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00:00The attempted assassination of Donald Trump shocked the world and horrified the nation.
00:04In the moments following the attack, many were thinking of the president's family,
00:08especially his young son Barron. Before the investigation into the incident could even
00:12officially begin, many people went online to speculate and share wild theories.
00:16Part of the speculation focused on whether or not Barron Trump was in attendance.
00:20What we do know is that officials confirmed the 20-year-old shooter,
00:23Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired several shots during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
00:27His attack killed one person and injured two others,
00:29before he was fatally shot by return fire from Secret Service agents.
00:33Trump said on Truth Social that a bullet had grazed his upper ear, but he was otherwise unharmed.
00:38Also, fortunately, it doesn't appear that Barron was at the Pennsylvania event,
00:41despite photos and reports suggesting the opposite online.
00:44Some posters on social media circulated photos of Barron in front of a crowd,
00:48claiming that they were taken at the Butler rally. However,
00:50those photos appeared to be of Barron at unrelated events.
00:53Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of MidasTouch.com,
00:56debunked at least one image circulating that he says showed Barron at a campaign
01:00rally on July 9th, 2024.
01:02"...and he's a very special guy. Barron Trump. This is the first time he's ever done it."
01:08That event was reportedly the first time Barron came out to support his father during the 2024
01:12campaign, though we're guessing he might not be attending another one anytime soon.
01:16Even before the assassination attempt, Melania Trump has gone to great lengths
01:19to keep Barron out of the political arena. Only recently turned 18,
01:23Barron hasn't been seen publicly much in general. His other children — Eric,
01:26Don Jr., Ivanka, and Tiffany — have all been far more public as surrogates and supporters
01:31during Trump's campaigns. The rumor that Barron was at the Butler rally isn't the
01:35first time misinformation has spread about the youngest Trump kid. Early in 2024,
01:39shortly after an announcement that Barron would serve as a delegate to the Republican
01:42National Convention alongside his siblings, Melania shut it down.
01:45The former first lady's office released a statement, which read in part,
01:49While Barron is honored to have been chosen as a delegate by the Florida Republican Party,
01:53he regretfully declines to participate due to prior commitments.
01:56It is clear that Melania doesn't want to be that personally involved with campaigning either,
02:00as she has not been spotted at many of Donald's presidential campaign stops in 2024.
02:04She also skipped out on the June debate between her husband and President Joe Biden.
02:08Still, it's not that Melania and Barron have forsaken Donald. The two were by his
02:12side to support him after the guilty verdict came down in Donald's hush money trial in May.
02:16However, as the aftermath of the Butler, Pennsylvania incident plays out, it's unlikely
02:20that Melania will want Barron to attend any future rallies, especially amid the heightened threat
02:24level.