Donald Trump Raves Over Young Son Barron
When Donald Trump moved into the White House in January 2017, first lady Melania Trump continued to live primarily at Trump Tower in Manhattan so their son Barron Trump could finish out the school year before they relocated to Washington, D.C.
And that basically set the tone for the entire Trump presidency: Melania famously prioritized keeping her only child, who was 11 when his dad was elected president, out of the spotlight.
Not that there wasn't plenty of curiosity about what Barron's life at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue was like. After all, he was only the second president's son to spend part of his childhood there since John F. Kennedy Jr. in the early 1960s. But for the most part, the fact that he was a child kept him off-limits from the type of scrutiny directed at his parents. Every once in a while he'd trend on Twitter (now X), usually because a new photo had come out showing how darn tall Barron was getting.
However, time works in mysterious ways and the former first kid is now 18 (and 6-foot-7!), meaning college is on the horizon and his path forward—at least legally speaking—is his own.
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"He is a very strong-minded, very special, smart boy," Melania told Parenting.com of her then-6-year-old in 2012. "He is independent and opinionated and knows exactly what he wants. Sometimes I call him little Donald. He is a mixture of us in looks, but his personality is why I call him little Donald."
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And a couple months shy of his 9th birthday, Barron was "terrific," according to his father.
"He's a great boy," Donald told E! News in January 2015. "He's working hard, he's starting the school thing."
In 2016, during a debate against Hillary Clinton, the presidential candidate marveled at his 10-year-old's tech savvy. "He is so good with computers," he said, "it's unbelievable."
With Barron's dad running for president again as the Republican nominee in 2024, get to know the former—and possibly future—first son:
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Who is Barron Trump?
Born March 20, 2006, Barron is the only child of Donald Trump and third wife Melania Trump. The former president is also dad to Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump with his late ex-wife Ivana Trump and daughter Tiffany Trump with second ex-wife Marla Maples.
Barron was a name his dad "always loved" but "never had the courage to use" when his other kids were born, the Celebrity Apprentice host said on The Oprah Winfrey Show in May 2006. "I gave the idea to Melania and then I was going to take it away at the very end and she said, ‘You can't take it away! I’ve been calling him Barron while he’s been in my stomach and you just can't take it away!'"
Where did Barron Trump go to school?
Before his dad became president, Barron attended the private Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School in Manhattan, where, according to the school's website, tuition for the 2024-2025 term starts at $61,770 for pre-K.
Once the whole family had moved into the White House, Barron started going to St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, Md., in the fall of 2017. A year of middle school at the private co-ed institution currently costs $49,680.
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"It is known for its diverse community and commitment to academic excellence," Melania said in a May 2017 statement, explaining their choice. "The mission of St. Andrew's is 'to know and inspire each child in an inclusive community dedicated to exceptional teaching, learning and service,' all of which appealed to our family."
After Barron's dad lost his bid for re-election to President Joe Biden in 2020, the Trumps moved to Florida and the teen started at Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach.
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Barron graduated from Oxbridge in May with both parents in attendance, the former president writing on his social media platform Truth Social, per ABC News, "Going to Barron's High School Graduation. Great student, wonderful boy! Very exciting! DJT"
Meanwhile, there's been no news yet on whether Barron has made college plans. His father and all of his siblings—except for Eric, who went to Georgetown—attended the University of Pennsylvania as undergraduates.
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How tall is Barron Trump?
Few things about the first son caught the public's attention more during the time he lived in the White House than his height.
Whenever Barron was photographed walking across the lawn it seemed as if he'd grown a few inches, the whole world serving as that relative who can't stop marveling over how big he'd gotten. And it wasn't long before he towered over both parents.
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Internet speculation has put the 18-year-old as tall as 6-foot-9, but the Palm Beach Post, which enjoys closer proximity to the family's home at Mar-a-Lago, has him at 6-foot-7.
"I said, 'You're gonna be a basketball player,'" Donald said at a January 2024 campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa, per the Daily Mail. "He said, 'Well, I like soccer, Dad, actually.' I thought…'At your height I like basketball better,' but you can't talk them into everything."
Paying tribute to his mother-in-law Amalija Knavs, who had died days beforehand, the candidate said of her and Melania's dad Viktor Knavs, "Great people, great parents to all of us, really. Great parents, but also to Barron. Boy, did [Amalija] take care of Barron. That's how he got so tall, he only ate her food.'"
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Is Barron Trump into politics?
Barron—who's eligible to vote in his first presidential election in November—hasn't really voiced any political sentiment one way or another aside from attending the 2016 and 2020 Republican National Conventions in support of his father.
He was offered the chance to serve as an at-large delegate to the 2024 convention in Milwaukee, but his mother's office said in a statement that, while he was "honored to have been chosen as a delegate by the Florida Republican Party," he "regretfully" declined to participate "due to prior commitments."
But, as the 2024 presidential candidate told Philadelphia radio station WHPT, Barron "does like politics" and has offered advice.
"It's sort of funny," the 78-year-old added. "He'll tell me sometimes, 'Dad, this is what you have to do.'"
Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images
And while Barron wasn't seen at the 2024 RNC on July 18 with the rest of the family, he did attend a Trump campaign rally for the first time on July 9 in Doral, Fla., where Donald encouraged the teen to make his presence known.
"Where is Barron?" the candidate called from the stage, per the New York Times. "Stand up! Look at him!"
As the crowd started chanting Barron's name, his dad noted, "You’re pretty popular," adding, "He might be more popular than Don and Eric! Welcome to the scene, Barron."
Here's a guide to the whole Trump family, including kids and grandkids, making the scene:
