President Trump Youngest son Barron, 18, stepped into the spotlight at his father's inauguration on Monday.
Standing at 6'9″, many attendees and viewers noted how much the younger Trump has matured since his father first took office in January 2017.
When Barron Trump was 10 years old, he was often the victim of cruel jokes and gossip from his father's critics. His mother, Melania Trump, tried to protect him from unwanted scrutiny, but sometimes to no avail.
On Monday, the first son earned the respect of onlookers when he stood next to his father during the inauguration ceremony. Here's a look at how Barron Trump has been growing up since 2017.
2017
At the age of 10, Barron Trump became the first son to reside in the White House since John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1961.
Barron, who turned 11 in March 2017, also lived in Trump Tower in New York at the same time, where he attended Columbia Grammar and Prep School on the Upper West Side.
Starting in 2016, rumors circulated that Barron Trump might have autism, which were amplified by comedian Rosie O'Donnell. In 2024, Melania Trump said that the rumors severely affected her son, who was bullied at school.
“I was horrified by this cruelty.” Melania Trump She wrote in her diary. “It was clear to me that she was not interested in raising awareness about autism. I felt like she was attacking my son because she didn't love my husband.”
She added: “There is nothing shameful about autism (although O'Donnell's tweet implied there was), but Barron is not autistic.” “Barron’s experience of being harassed online and in real life following the incident is a clear indication of the irreparable damage he has caused.”
Barron Trump is shown with his mother, Melania, on the West Front of the Capitol before his father, Donald J. Trump, is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, on January 20, 2017. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
2018
Barron turned 12 in March 2018 and has remained a common target of Trump's enemies.
Actor Peter Fonda called on officials to “rip Barron Trump from his mother's arms and put him in a cage with pedophiles.” He later apologized for these statements.
“I tweeted something extremely inappropriate and vulgar about the President and his family in response to the devastating images I was seeing on television,” Fonda said in the statement shortly after. “Like many Americans, I am very excited and distraught about the situation with children separated from their families at the border, but I have gone above and beyond.”
President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and son Barron Trump cross the South Lawn of the White House on November 25, 2018, in Washington, DC. (Zach Gibson-Paul/Getty Images)
2019
Barron was 13 when his family moved permanently to Mar-a-Lago in 2019. That year, Trump said he would have a “hard time” letting his son play football.
“I don't like the reports I see about football — I mean it's a dangerous sport and I think it's really tough,” Trump said at the time. “I thought the equipment would get better, and it did. Helmets have improved a lot, but it hasn't solved the problem.”
During a 2019 House Judiciary Committee hearing, Stanford law professor Pamela Karlan noted that then-President Trump could “name his son Barron, but he couldn’t make him a baron.”
Melania Trump was upset that her young son was mentioned at the hearing.
“A minor child deserves privacy and should be kept out of politics,” the First Lady tweeted at the time. “Pamela Karlan, you should be ashamed of your angry and clearly biased public pandering, and using a child to do it.”
President Trump, center, waves as he walks with First Lady Melania Trump, right, and son Barron Trump on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019. (Andrew Harrier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
2020
While Trump fought for re-election in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the United States, Barron Trump continued to go to school and stayed out of the public spotlight. In 2020, “Jeopardy” is hosted by Ken Jennings Sorry for the joke He spoke about Barron in 2017.
“Barron saw a very long tie and a pile of expired deli meat in the trash,” Jennings tweeted at the time. “He thought it was his father and his little heart was breaking.”
“Hey, just wanted to acknowledge the fact that over the years on Twitter I have definitely tweeted some non-technical (sic) and insensitive things,” Jennings wrote in 2020. “I was horrified when I saw how they read on the screen.”
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Barron Trump, right, First Lady of the United States Melania Trump, President Trump, and Tiffany Trump, stand in front of the White House during the Republican National Convention on the South Lawn in Washington, D.C., Thursday, August 27, 2020. (Erin Scott/Polaris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
2021
Barron Trump was 14 years old when his father left office in January. He lived with his mother at Mar-a-Lago full-time and stayed out of the spotlight.
In July 2021, he was seen leaving Trump Tower with Melania Trump.
Melania Trump and her son Barron Trump leave Trump Tower in Manhattan on July 7, 2021 in New York City. (James Devaney/GC Images)
2022
Barron Trump was 16 when FBI agents raided his father's Florida estate. He has kept a low profile this year, but was seen in public with his parents at the funeral of Ivana Trump, Trump's first wife, in July 2022.
In November 2022 his father He announced his offer For the presidency.
Donald Trump, Melania Trump and Barron Trump are seen at Ivana Trump's funeral on July 20, 2022 in New York City. (Jenny/Star Max/GC Images)
2023
As President Trump campaigned again in 2023, Barron was still absent from the public spotlight. In August of that year, a photo of his father was released.
A Secret Service agent guards the Mar-a-Lago home of former President Donald Trump on March 21, 2023, in Palm Beach, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
2024
Barron Trump went to college New York University (New York University) in the fall of 2024. He graduated from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach in May, and has been seen attending classes at NYU's Stern School of Business.
In November, he also voted for the first time, Cast your vote To his father in Florida.
Barron Trump leaves New York University's Stern School of Business in New York City, New York on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. (Omar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
2025
Barron looked sharp when he attended his father's inauguration on January 20. Later in the day, he waved to the crowd after his father mentioned his role in the 2024 campaign.
“I have a very tall son named Baron. Has anyone ever heard of him?” Trump said to cheers, as the first son waved to those in attendance.
“He knew the youth vote. You know, we won the youth vote by 36 points… He said, 'Dad, you've got to get out, do Joe Rogan, do all these guys,'” Trump recalled. “We did, we did. And Joe Rogan was great.”
The 18-year-old also wowed the audience when he shook hands with President Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris, with some social media users speculating he may pursue a political career in the future.
“Barron Trump just shook hands with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” one X user wrote. “This kid will be our president one day. Bet on him.”
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Barron Trump at his father's inauguration on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Pool via Reuters)
Another said of Barron: “Barron Trump is a natural.” “Totally owned by the moment.”
Brooke Curto and Kyle Schmidbauer of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
