Barron Trump Has One Thing The Rest Of The Donald's Children Never Did

All of Donald Trump's children have been afforded a life of luxury (and scrutiny), but their youngest brother, Barron Trump, seems to have something his other four siblings never did: choices. Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, and to a lesser extent, Tiffany Trump, all got scooped up into their father's political orbit prior to and during his first presidential term. The older Trump children were forced to step out of their privileged bubbles to work the campaign trail, raise money, defend their father on social media, and even, in Ivanka's case, temporarily serve as his advisor. These decisions, however beneficial for a time, also set them up to bear the brunt of Donald's political backlash.

Despite being the only Trump child who has ever lived in the White House, Barron's path has been different. While Barron's minor status largely shielded him from public backlash the first go around, as he starts his second semester at NYU with no immediate plans to move with Melania Trump to D.C., it's become clearer that he's been afforded the opportunity to walk a path that his siblings didn't. Given his mother's comments to "Fox & Friends," it sounds as if it's been by design. While discussing whether or not Barron had plans to visit the White House, Melania said, "Whatever he will like to do, yes." She continued, "I feel that as the children, we have them until they're 18, 19 years old ... and then we give them the wings to fly. And I always respect Barron's yes and no, and what he likes to do."

Unsurprisingly, this isn't the only time that Melania expressed this sentiment.

There may be many red flags in the Trump family dynamic, but this isn't the first time that Melania Trump has made the case for putting Barron Trump's wants and needs above all else. In September 2024, the former model appeared on Fox News and revealed that it was Barron who had his sights set on obtaining his undergraduate degree at NYU while residing in New York — a decision that she respected. "It was his decision to come here that he wants to be in New York and study in New York and live in his home, and I respect that," she shared (via People). She also revealed that, during his childhood, she "gave him his own yes and no's," which has seemingly made all the difference in how his life has played out compared to the lives of his older brothers and sisters.

Three months later, sources who spoke with People also revealed the extent of Melania's affection for Barron. "Melania worries about the hate in the country and how it falls on her son, who is innocent of any of this," shared an insider. "She is and has been a good sounding board for him. They talk about life as it is and how they are in the spotlight. She tries to normalize his life. If that is even possible." 

Meanwhile, a different source stressed how fortunate Barron was to have Melania as a mother. "Any child in the world spotlight like this would be lucky to have a parent so willing to give her time to help keep his life running smoothly," they said, adding, "She wants to encourage him to make friends, be super careful of the haters which can be anywhere ... and keep him mentally healthy by having open communication with him and the rest of her immediate family."