President Trump’s youngest son Barron, 18, stepped into the spotlight Monday at his father’s inauguration.
Standing 6 feet tall, many attendees and viewers noted how mature the younger Trump has become since his father first took office in January 2017.
At the age of ten, Barron Trump was often the victim of cruel jokes and rumors 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 commanded respect from onlookers as he stood next to his father during the inaugural ceremonies. Here’s a look at how Barron Trump has grown up since 2017.
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2017
At the age of 10, Barron Trump became the first son to live in the White House since John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1961.
Barron, who turned 11 in March 2017, was also living in Trump Tower in New York at the same time, where he attended Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School on the Upper West Side.
Beginning in 2016, rumors circulated that Barron Trump may have autism, which comedian Rosie O’Donnell amplified. In 2024, Melania Trump said the rumors had a deep impact on her son, who was bullied at school.
‘I was shocked by so much cruelty’ Melania Trump wrote in her memoirs. “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 like my husband.”
“There is nothing shameful about autism (although O’Donnell’s tweet suggested there was), but Barron is not autistic,” she added. “Barron’s experience of being bullied both online and in real life following the incident is a clear indication of the irreparable damage that has been done.”
Barron Trump is seen with his mother Melania on the west side of the Capitol before his father Donald J. Trump was 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 for 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 the comments.
“I tweeted something highly inappropriate and vulgar about the President and his family in response to the devastating images I saw on television,” Fonda said in the statement shortly afterwards. “Like many Americans, I am deeply passionate and distraught about the situation where children are being separated from their families at the border, but I have gone way too far.”
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-Pool/Getty Images)
2019
Barron was 13 years old when his family moved to Mar-a-Lago permanently in 2019. That year, Trump said he would have a “tough time” getting his son to play football.
“I just don’t like the messages I see coming out about football — I mean, it’s a dangerous sport and I think it’s very tough,” Trump said at the time. “I thought the equipment would get better, and it has. The helmets have gotten a lot better, but it hasn’t solved the problem.”
During a 2019 House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing, Stanford law professor Pamela Karlan noted that then-President Trump “could name his son Barron, he can’t make him a baron.”
Melania Trump was angry that her young son was mentioned during 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 yourself for your very angry and clearly biased public pandering, and using a child to do so.”
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, DC, on Tuesday, November 26, 2019. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
2020
As Trump fought for re-election in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the United States, Barron Trump continued to go to school and stay out of the public spotlight. In 2020, “Jeopardy” presents Ken Jennings apologized for a joke he talked about Barron in 2017.
“Barron saw a very long tie and a pile of expired meats in a dumpster,” Jennings tweeted at the time. “He thought it was his dad and his little heart is breaking.”
“Hey, I just wanted to admit that I’ve definitely tweeted some artless and insensitive things over the years on Twitter,” Jennings wrote in 2020. “Sometimes they worked as jokes in my head and I was appalled to see how they read the screen.”
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Barron Trump, from right, U.S. First Lady 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, DC, on 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 full-time with his mother at Mar-a-Lago and stayed out of the spotlight.
In July 2021, he was spotted leaving Trump Tower with Melania Trump.
Melania Trump and 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 estate in Florida. He kept a low profile this year but was seen in public with both his parents at the funeral of Ivana Trump, Trump’s first wife, in July 2022.
In November 2022 his father announced its 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. (JNI/Star Max/GC images)
2023
When President Trump’s campaign resumed in 2023, Barron was still absent from the public spotlight. In August of that year, his father’s mugshot was released.
A Secret Service agent guards former President Donald Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 21, 2023. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
2024
Barron Trump graduated from New York University (NYU) in the fall of 2024. He graduated from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach in May and attended classes at NYU’s Stern School of Business.
He also voted for the first time in November, cast a vote for his father in Florida.
Barron Trump leaves NYU’s Stern Business School in New York City, NY on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. (Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
2025
Barron looked sharp as 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 Barron. Has anyone ever heard of him?’ Trump cheered, as the first son waved to those in attendance.
“He knew the youth mood. You know, we won the youth vote by 36 points… He said, ‘Dad, you gotta go out, do Joe Rogan, do all these guys,’” Trump recalled. “We did that, we did that. And Joe Rogan was great.”
The 18-year-old also impressed attendees when he shook hands with President Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris, with some social media users speculating that he could pursue a political career in the future.
“Barron Trump just shook hands with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” one X user wrote. “This boy will be our president one day. You can count on it.’
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Barron Trump at his father’s inauguration on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Pool via REUTERS)
“Barron Trump is a natural,” another said of Barron. “Totally own the moment.”
Fox News Digital’s Brooke Curto and Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report.
