A bouncing baby boy what seems like not too long ago, Barron Trump is now even taller than his presidential dad, and making big moves, too.
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00:00A bouncing baby boy what seemed like not too long ago, Barron Trump is now even taller
00:04than his presidential dad — and making big moves, too.
00:08Will Barron Trump follow in his father's footsteps and run for president one day? While that
00:12remains to be seen, it goes without saying that he's changed a lot since his early days
00:17growing up in Trump Tower.
00:19Melania and Donald Trump married on January 22, 2005, in Palm Beach, Florida. While Donald
00:25already had children from his two previous marriages, the couple welcomed their first
00:29son and Melania's first child on March 20, 2006.
00:34Interestingly, Barron Trump was a U.S. citizen before his mother was. Since he was born in
00:39New York City, he was immediately a citizen of the United States. Melania, who hails from
00:43Slovenia, didn't become a citizen until July 2006 after landing a green card in 2001.
00:50Melania and Donald have always made headlines for their unique relationship. Say what you
00:54will about Donald's political views, but the couple certainly seems to take each other
00:58in stride. In 2005, Trump told Larry King on CNN,
01:03"'There's nothing like a good marriage, and there's nothing like having children. I have
01:07four great children. If you have the money, having children is great."
01:12What was Trump's perspective on daddy duties? After saying that he wouldn't be dealing with
01:16diapers or making dinner, he said,
01:18I may never even see the kids, frankly. Okay? No. She will be an unbelievable mother. I'll
01:24be a good father."
01:25What does Melania think about Donald's disinterest in being a hands-on dad? In a 2012 interview
01:30with Parenting, she said of her husband,
01:32"'He didn't change diapers and I am completely fine with that. It's very important to know
01:36the person you're with, and we know our roles.'"
01:40Barron was baptized in the same church where his parents got married the year before. He
01:44received the sacrament on December 8, 2006, in Palm Beach, Florida, at the Episcopal Church
01:49of Bethesda-by-the-Sea. Melania's parents and sister were present, as were Donald's
01:54children and five bodyguards, according to People.
01:57Donald himself is a Presbyterian. Interestingly, Melania's religious beliefs were unknown for
02:02much of her public life, but after her visit to the Vatican in 2017, the world discovered
02:07that she is Catholic. While extremely private about her faith, this wasn't the first time
02:11that Melania's life was influenced by her Catholic background. Although her wedding
02:15was held in an Episcopal church, she walked down the aisle to the song Ave Maria while
02:20holding a rosary.
02:21While Barron's baptism was also in the Episcopal church, it's unclear how much of his upbringing
02:26was shaped by either parent's religion. For Melania, though, it's evident that religion
02:30is deeply significant to her. After the papal visit, she said on Twitter that she would
02:34never forget it.
02:36Barron's access to the finer things goes beyond even what we might expect of a child born
02:41to a real estate mogul. Comedian Ellen DeGeneres gifted baby Barron a golden stroller that
02:46came with a little chandelier that dangled above it, according to People. While the gift
02:51might be a bit garish according to some folks' taste, Melania found it amusing. She said,
02:56"'It's fun. It makes you laugh.'"
02:58People reported that Barbara Walters sent him a massive stuffed dog, while he was also
03:02gifted with onesies sporting the catchphrase made famous by Donald Trump's reality show,
03:07The Apprentice.
03:09When Barron was a little older and had begun speaking, Melania and Donald appeared on CNN
03:14with Larry King once again, who asked if Barron had fired anyone. Melania joked,
03:19"'He did, yes. Actually, he did. He's firing the housekeeper and nanny many times.'"
03:24Barron's living arrangements as a baby were an education in lavishness. He grew up in
03:28the Trump apartment on Fifth Avenue in New York City, and his quarters were on the floor
03:33above his parents' bedroom, according to People. This space came with a nursery, kitchen, living
03:38room, and quarters for a nanny, as well as some for mom. If the Trumps were worried about
03:42baby noises waking them up, there was no need. Melania said of her son,
03:46"'He's a very good baby. He's not like a crybaby. He's calm, and it's fantastic.'"
03:51Melania obviously thinks highly of Donald Trump and has made this clear throughout their
03:56relationship. At the Republican National Convention in 2016, she said of her husband,
04:01"'He's tough when he has to be, but he's also kind and fair and caring.'"
04:08After saying that a lot of people aren't necessarily able to see this side of him,
04:12but that it's always there nonetheless, she said,
04:15"'That is one reason I fell in love with him to begin with.'"
04:19When Donald was first elected president, the hashtag FreeMelania went viral,
04:23but it eventually became evident that she didn't want any liberation.
04:27The two seem to understand each other and, by all accounts, are much more united than people
04:31give them credit for. This admiration for Donald has melded into the love Melania has for their son,
04:36largely because Donald and Barron appear to be so similar. Melania affectionately called her son
04:42a very strong-minded, very special boy while speaking to Parenting magazine and said,
04:47"'He is independent and opinionated and knows exactly what he wants.'"
04:50Barron has also always admired his dad. When he was five years old,
04:54he wanted to be like Daddy, according to Melania. She shared that Barron enjoyed
04:59building things and drawing as a kid, and on their trips he could recall everything.
05:03In light of this, Barron's nickname became Little Donald, since he takes after his old man so much.
05:10As he grew older, Barron revealed a love of sports. Melania confirmed this when she spoke
05:14at Liberty University in 2018, saying that Barron was all into sports. His team affiliation is
05:20notably international, as he was spotted at the White House wearing an Arsenal Football Club
05:25jersey — a soccer team hailing from Islington, London, England. He even played on teams in the
05:30D.C. area. In September 2017, sportswriter Pablo Iglesias Mauer tweeted that Barron was on the
05:36team roster for the D.C. United Under-12 team. He wrote,
05:40"'Barron Trump is playing at RFK tomorrow. No really. Seriously. Not kidding.'"
05:45Barron has also played for the Arlington Soccer Association's Under-14 team.
05:49In light of ongoing injury reports around the NFL, Donald Trump was asked by CBS News' Margaret
05:54Brennan whether or not he would allow Barron to play football. He said,
05:58"'If he wanted to, yes. Would I steer him that way? No, I wouldn't. And he actually
06:03plays a lot of soccer. He's liking soccer. I hate to say it because I love to watch football.'"
06:08While Donald Trump's famous confession that he never changed Barron's diaper when he was
06:12a baby might not compare to a lot of people's parenting experiences,
06:16Donald did stress that he liked a hands-on dad approach in other ways.
06:20He told People in 2006,
06:22"'I love to feed the baby. Not because I have to, but just because I love it.
06:26A lot of times early in the morning I'll take care of him. Over the years,
06:29I have changed a diaper, but not on Barron.'"
06:31As Barron grew up, he became the typical reticent teenager — something that came up when Donald
06:36was the president. Author Jonathan Karl described an experience in his book Betrayal,
06:40The Final Act of the Trump Show, where Donald spoke to reporter Zeke Miller about Karl himself.
06:46Karl quoted Donald as saying,
06:47"'Jonathan is very cool. He is like my son.'"
06:50Donald then pretended to speak with his son, imitating him as such.
06:54"'Do you love your dad? Uh, I don't know. But he does. He's too cool. The kids.'"
06:58So we've got a hunch that Barron might be the shy type — at least with his dad.
07:03Barron's relationship with his mother is vastly more documented than the one he has with Donald.
07:08Melania Trump made sure that Barron learned her own mother tongue,
07:11so as to connect with her and her family. As Barron became more of a public figure
07:15thanks to his father's presidency and previous celebrity, the media couldn't
07:19help but notice his connection to his mother, since they were so heavily photographed.
07:23Bruce Durham, a body language expert, spoke to Express about Barron's growing
07:27independence in light of his close bond with Melania. Analyzing a photo of the two,
07:31he explained,
07:32"'Barron has a slight smile with his fingers splayed and thumb in the same position,
07:36showing confidence. His mother sees this and is happy enough to let him grow into this moment.
07:41No hand contact needed this time, just direct eye contact and the smile of a
07:45mother that is proud of her son."
07:46Melania also puts Barron first, even before political protocol. The Trump family made
07:51endless headlines in 2016 for her refusal to bring Barron to the White House directly
07:56after Donald's inauguration. Her delay came from a desire to allow Barron to complete the
08:01rest of his school year, according to The New York Times. Barron was only 10 at the time,
08:05and Melania wouldn't budge.
08:08Barron's arrival at the White House was a novel experience in terms of presidential families.
08:12Prior presidents had children living in the White House,
08:15but the last few underage occupants were daughters.
08:18"'He's the first son to live in the White House since 1963,
08:21when John F. Kennedy Jr. was just three years old."
08:24While Barron certainly got a unique adolescence thanks to his dad's political aspirations,
08:29it doesn't look like it was always an easy experience being a kid in the White House.
08:33In 2017, when Kathy Griffin created an image of herself holding a severed head of Donald Trump,
08:39Barron found the visual traumatizing, and understandably so. He was only 11 at the
08:44time and allegedly was deeply agitated by the photo. Trump shot back with a tweet,
08:48"'Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself. My children, especially my 11-year-old son,
08:53Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick.'"
08:56In the same year, a writer for Saturday Night Live, Katie Rich, tweeted,
09:00"'Barron will be this country's first homeschool shooter.'"
09:02This tweet was also met with outrage, both by the White House and those outside of politics.
09:08Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Donald's political rival Hillary Clinton,
09:11jumped on Twitter to defend the president's son, writing,
09:14"'Barron Trump deserves the chance every child does — to be a kid.'"
09:18Shortly after both Donald and Melania tested positive for COVID-19,
09:22Melania wrote on the White House website that her main concern was Barron Trump
09:26contracting the virus. Unfortunately, he did — shortly after his parents tested positive.
09:31Melania wrote on the White House website,
09:33"'My fear came true when he was tested again and it came up positive.
09:37Luckily, he is a strong teenager and exhibited no symptoms. In one way,
09:41I was glad the three of us went through this at the same time so we could take
09:44care of one another and spend time together.'"
09:46Indeed, Barron had a much lighter symptom load than either of his parents.
09:50Melania wrote that she went through a rollercoaster of symptoms,
09:53while Donald Trump had to be hospitalized.
09:55"'The president's mood now is much more freaked out than what it had been, you know,
10:01immediately upon diagnosis.'"
10:03He remained there for several days due to coughing, congestion, and fever,
10:07according to The New York Times.
10:10So what does Barron Trump think about Donald Trump's political life? The young boy was
10:14frequently out of the spotlight and obviously never gave interviews, but enough evidence
10:18came forward to show that Barron found his dad to be too hard in some moments.
10:23In Donald's debates with President Joe Biden, Barron, who was 14 at the time,
10:27felt that his father was too bombastic. According to Mollie Hemingway's book,
10:31Rigged, How the Media, Big Tech, and the Democrats Seized Our Elections,
10:35Donald said,
10:36"'People thought I was too belligerent.' I will say my own son, Barron, said,
10:40"'Dad, you were too tough. You didn't have to keep interrupting him.'"
10:43"'The oil industry pollutes significantly. Here's the deal, but you can't do that.
10:48Well, if you let me finish the statement.'"
10:51In fact, as Politico notes, Donald's children, as well as Melania Trump herself,
10:55urged him to present a more presidential persona ahead of the 2016 election.
11:00Trump's older children famously appeared alongside him, both on the campaign trail
11:04and in the White House, but Barron stayed out of the spotlight and away from the microphone
11:08on account of how young he was. Body language expert Bruce Durham spoke with The Mirror
11:12about the information he could glean from photos of Barron and his parents at political events.
11:17He explained,
11:18"'I think it is quite sad and sweet that Barron is looking at the floor in both photos.
11:22It must be hard for any young adult to be in that position.'"
11:26Part of the protection of Donald Trump's youngest son involves keeping him out of the public eye as
11:30much as possible. However, Barron's notable absence from major events during his father's
11:35presidency raised some questions, such as how he was not with his parents when they left the
11:40White House on their last day. In addition, he was nowhere to be found when Donald issued his
11:45final address as president at Joint Base Andrews, while Trump's other children, as well as Melania
11:50Trump, were there to witness it. Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner brought their
11:54children, and many of Donald's other grandchildren were present for the send-off.
11:59"'So, have a good life. We will see you soon. Thank you. Thank you very much.'"
12:04Although the situation sparked endless home alone jokes on Twitter,
12:08there might be a more serious reason for Barron's absence from these final public events.
12:12During Donald's impeachment inquiry, Professor Pamela Carlin, who teaches at Stanford University,
12:17made reference to his inappropriate uses of power during the impeachment inquiries that
12:21occurred in 2019.
12:23"'So while the president can name his son Barron, he can't make him a Barron.'"
12:28Not too surprisingly, Melania snapped back on X,
12:31formerly known as Twitter,
12:32"'A minor child deserves privacy and should be kept out of politics. Pamela Carlin,
12:37you should be ashamed of your very angry and obviously biased public pandering and
12:41using a child to do it.'"
12:43Barron finally got a chance to get out of the public eye in January 2021,
12:48when he moved to Florida with his parents.
12:50Barron's new school, Oxbridge Academy, is near the family's Mar-a-Lago resort and is
12:55located in Palm Beach. The school is ultra-luxurious and costs $34,800 annually. The school also
13:02offers a huge athletic program, so Barron's definitely got it made in the shade.
13:06Not only was the transition an adjustment for Barron,
13:09but it also required some adaptability on the part of Oxbridge Academy. As the Palm
13:13Beach Post reports, it's the first time the school had to accommodate the secret service
13:18for any of its students. The head of Oxbridge Academy, Ralph Mower, said,
13:22"'A small contingent of Secret Service agents will be present during each school day.
13:26We are working directly with the Secret Service to ensure that logistics and security work
13:31smoothly and discreetly with little impact on students, faculty, staff or day-to-day operations.'"
13:37As for his older siblings, they lost their Secret Service detail six months after Donald left
13:42office. He might be the youngest in the family, but Barron is every bit of a key figure in the
13:47Trump dynasty. Even more, he is now seemingly following in the footsteps of his older siblings
13:52who have long played significant roles in their father's political career. Back in November 2022,
13:57when Donald Trump launched his 2024 presidential bid, Barron was visibly present at the event,
14:03showing support for his father. But even when he is not physically present in the room with
14:07his father, Barron remains just as significant in his father's political affairs. During Donald's
14:12post-indictment speech at his Mar-a-Lago residence, he gave a shout-out to all his kids,
14:17including Barron. He stated,
14:19"'And Barron will be great someday. He's tall. He's smart.'"
14:24Speaking to People in March 2023, an insider described Melania Trump as a doting mother,
14:30revealing that the former first lady remained focused on Barron amid Donald Trump's legal
14:35drama. The source explained,
14:36"'Barron has always been a first priority in Melania's life. Of course,
14:40she is worried and concerned about the legal issues, but she has not done anything more
14:44to protect Barron now than she ever did. She has always put him first. She is a good mother.'"
14:49This comment reinforces a previous claim by body language expert Bruce Durham,
14:54who told Express in 2020 that despite what was often expected of him as the president's son,
14:59Melania made sure to always look out for Barron. He said,
15:02"'She knows he has a role there, what he needs to do, but also how to look after her only son,
15:07with a mothering parent-child setup. She cares more about her son.'"
15:11Despite her ever-lingering protection, however,
15:13the former first lady is reportedly also happy to allow Barron to wield some control.
15:18Every time Barron Trump makes a rare public appearance,
15:21people are stunned at how he towers over everyone around him.
15:25Here's the latest look at the Trump heir's astonishing altitude.
15:28On January 9th, Melania Trump's mother, Amalia Knobbs, died at the age of 78.
15:34On X, formerly known as Twitter, the former first lady confirmed the news in an emotional statement,
15:39writing,
15:40"'It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Amalia.
15:44Amalia Knobbs was a strong woman who always carried herself with grace,
15:48warmth, and dignity. She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson, and son-in-law.'"
15:54Melania also expressed her intention to honor her mother's legacy.
15:57Her husband, President Donald Trump, echoed similar sentiments on his own social media
16:02network, Truth Social, writing,
16:04"'This is a very sad night for the Trump family.
16:07Melania's great and beautiful mother, Amalia, has just gone to a beautiful place in the sky.'"
16:12On January 18th, Melania mourned Amalia's death with a somber eulogy at her funeral,
16:17held at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach.
16:21"'In her presence, the world seemed to shimmer with radiant joy.
16:26She was not just a friend, but a confidant.'"
16:29While plenty of eyes were on his parents, Barron also turned heads, thanks to his shocking height.
16:34In photos taken at the event, the youngest Trump child, who stands at a whopping 6 feet 7 inches
16:40tall, was shown towering over his father and mother, who are 6'3 and 5'11", respectively.
16:45Shortly after the photos from the funeral hit the web, observers shared their reactions to
16:50Barron's jaw-dropping height on X. One person wrote,
16:53"'Damn, he can be a basketball player.'"
16:55Another commented,
16:57"'Barron Trump's nickname should be Trump Tower.'"
16:59While genetics has a lot to do with Barron's massive height, Donald joked at a rally in
17:04Iowa that his youngest son's growth spurt was due to the late Amalia's cooking.
17:08"'Boy, did she take care of Barron. That's how he got so tall. He only ate her food.'"
17:13Before his appearance at his grandmother's funeral,
17:15Barron's height had made plenty of headlines over the years.
17:18In 2021, the former first son shocked tabloid readers when the then-15-year-old was spotted
17:24hovering over his mother, Melania Trump, in Manhattan, The New York Post noted.
17:29Some reports also claimed that Barron's dad didn't always celebrate his tall stature.
17:34During a 2019 interview with Lawrence O'Donnell, journalist Michael Wolff opened up about his book
17:39Siege, Trump Under Fire, which featured a claim that the former president was jealous of his son's
17:44height. Wolff claimed that Donald is envious of anyone taller than him
17:48because he likes to use his own height to his advantage.
17:51"'Jealous of everyone's height. He never lets himself be in a photograph
17:56with someone taller than he is.'"
17:58While Donald may or may not be the biggest fan of Barron's immense stature, his half-brother Eric,
18:03who used to be the tallest Trump child at 6'5", has a more lighthearted outlook,
18:08saying on the First Class Fatherhood podcast in 2022,
18:12"'I'm very mad at Barron because I was the tallest guy in my family until he came along.
18:16My father calls me the short son now, and I'm 6'5.'"
18:20There's one thing Melania Trump taught her son, Barron, that Donald Trump absolutely never could,
18:26and even the president would agree that's the case. Although Barron is known for having a
18:31few impressive skills, including drumming and golfing, the teenaged son of the president is
18:36not known for being much of a talker, at least not in public. Choosing instead to stay under
18:41the radar. So the fact that he speaks multiple languages isn't something lots of people may know,
18:47though it also may not be a huge surprise given that he was largely raised by someone
18:51whose native language isn't English. In 2009, Melania told People that the young
18:56Barron spoke three languages — English, French, and her native tongue, Slovenian.
19:02This makes sense, as scientific studies have confirmed that children who grow up speaking
19:07more than one language are easily able to become fluent in them, given that they have not yet
19:11passed the critical period after which learning languages becomes far more difficult. Whether he
19:16speaks French has not been confirmed, as he has never done so in public, and Melania's own
19:21proficiency in the tongue has been called into question. In 2020, Mary Jordan, author of an
19:27unauthorized biography of the first lady, The Art of Her Deal, revealed that there was little
19:32evidence to suggest that Melania spoke any other languages besides English and Slovenian.
19:37She does, however, know a few basic phrases in French and Italian.
19:42Donald Trump is not known for taking an active involvement in his children's upbringings,
19:46with his first wife Ivana Trump even saying that she essentially raised their three children by
19:51herself. As a result, it may be unsurprising to learn that, at least at four years old,
19:57Barron Trump had spent so much time with his mother that he had even developed a Slovenian
20:01accent. This was quite apparent in a 2010 Larry King live clip in which the then-4-year-old Barron
20:08spoke about his daily routine, looking like his father in a button-down shirt and jacket,
20:12but sounding like his mother.
20:14I like my suitcase. I have to go to school now."
20:18Yeah.
20:19Melania told King that Barron spent most of his time with her. At least one of Donald Trump's
20:24other children is multilingual. Ivana Trump, also an immigrant from Eastern Europe,
20:29taught her eldest child, Donald Jr., her native language of Czech, which she speaks fluently.
20:35She attempted to teach it to her daughter, Ivanka Trump, as well,
20:38though it did not seem to stick with her. The youngest Trump made another rare public
20:42appearance in July 2022 at the funeral of Ivana Trump, the mother of his half-siblings Ivanka,
20:48Donald Jr., and Derek. Barron towered over his half-brothers.
20:52The tall 16-year-old is clearly his mother's son.