President Trump’s youngest son, Barron, 18, was in the spotlight at his father’s inauguration on Monday.
Looking at his towering 6-foot-9-inch figure, many attendees and viewers remarked on how much the younger Trump has matured since his father first took office in January 2017.
Ten-year-old 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, sometimes to no avail.
On Monday, the eldest son stood by his father during the inauguration ceremony, drawing respect from onlookers. Let’s take a look at how Barron Trump has grown since 2017.
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2017
At 10 years old, Barron Trump is the first son to live 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 and attended Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School on the Upper West Side.
In early 2016, rumors circulated that Barron Trump might be autistic, and comedian Rosie O’Donnell amplified them. In 2024, Melania Trump said the rumors deeply affected her son, who was bullied at school.
Melania Trump wrote in her memoir that she was “appalled by the brutality.” “It was clear that she had no interest in raising awareness about autism. I felt like she was attacking her son because she didn’t like her husband.”
“There’s nothing shameful about autism (although O’Donnell’s tweet hints that he has autism), but Mr. Barron is not autistic,” she added. “Mr. Barron’s experiences with bullying both online and in real life since the incident clearly demonstrate that irreparable damage has been caused.”
Barron Trump is seen with his mother Melania on the West Front of the U.S. 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, who turned 12 in March 2018, continued to be a common target for President Trump’s enemies.
Actor Peter Fonda called on authorities to “rip Barron Trump from his mother’s arms and put him in a cage with pedophiles.” He later apologized for his remarks.
“In response to the devastating images I saw on television, I tweeted something highly inappropriate and vulgar about the president and his family,” Fonda said in a statement shortly after. “Like many Americans, I am very passionate and distraught about the situation of children separated from their families at the border, but it has gone too far.”
President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and son Barron Trump walk across 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 permanently to Mar-a-Lago in 2019. That year, President Trump said it was “hard” to get his son to play soccer.
President Trump said at the time: “I don’t like the press that’s coming out around football. I mean, I think it’s a dangerous sport, and it’s a really tough sport.” “I thought the equipment would be better, and that’s what happened. The helmets are much better, but the problem is still there.”
During a 2019 House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing, Stanford University law professor Pamela Karlan said then-President Trump “can name his son Baron, but he can’t make him Baron.” .
Melania Trump was upset that her young son’s name was mentioned during the hearing.
“Minor children deserve privacy and should not be involved in politics,” the first lady tweeted at the time. “Pamela Karlan, you should be very angry and ashamed of your clearly biased populism and your use of children to do so.”
President Trump (center) walks and waves with First Lady Melania Trump (right) and son Barron Trump on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One on Tuesday, November 26, 2019 in Washington, DC. . (Andrew Haller/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
2020
Barron Trump continues to attend school and stay in the public eye as Trump fights for re-election in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic shakes the United States I was avoiding that. In 2020, “Jeopardy” host Ken Jennings apologized for a joke he told about Barron in 2017.
“Mr. Barron saw a very long tie and a pile of expired deli meat in the trash can,” Jennings tweeted at the time. “His little heart is breaking because he thought it was his father.”
“Hey, I just wanted to acknowledge the fact that I’ve definitely made some artless tweets on Twitter over the years.” [sic] “Sometimes they functioned as jokes in my head and I was disappointed to see how they read on screen,” Jennings wrote in 2020.
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Barron Trump, from right, 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 on Thursday, August 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. (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 in Mar-a-Lago and stayed out of the spotlight.
In July 2021, he was also seen leaving Trump Tower with Melania Trump.
Melania Trump and son Barron Trump leave Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York City, July 7, 2021. (James Devaney/GC Images)
2022
Barron Trump was 16 years old when FBI agents searched his father’s Florida estate. Although he kept a low profile this year, he made a public appearance with his parents at the funeral of President Trump’s first wife, Ivana Trump, in July 2022.
In November 2022, his father announced his candidacy for the presidential election.
Donald Trump, Melania Trump, and Barron Trump attend Ivana Trump’s funeral in New York City on July 20, 2022. (JNI/Star Max/GC Images)
2023
Barron remained out of the public eye as President Trump’s 2023 campaign ramped up again. In August of the same year, a photo of her father’s face was released.
Secret Service agents guard former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 21, 2023. (Joe Radle/Getty Images)
2024
Barron Trump will enroll at New York University (NYU) in the fall of 2024. He graduated from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach in May and has been seen attending classes at New York University’s Stern School of Business.
In November, he voted for his father in Florida for the first time.
Barron Trump will leave New York University’s Stern School of Business on Wednesday, September 4, 2024 in New York City, New York. (Umar Abbasi, Fox News Digital)
2025
Barron looked sharp as he attended his father’s inauguration ceremony on January 20th. Later that 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 said to cheers as his eldest son waved to attendees.
“He knew about the youth vote. You know, we won the youth vote by 36 points…He said, ‘Dad, go out and do Joe Rogan, just like those guys. Do something,”’ Trump recalled. “We did it, we did it. And Joe Rogan was great.”
The 18-year-old also wowed attendees as he shook hands with President Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris, leading some social media users to speculate that he might pursue a career in politics in the future. I am doing it.
“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 that.”
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Barron Trump attends his father’s inauguration ceremony in Washington, DC on January 20, 2025 (Chip Somodevilla/Pool, via Reuters)
“Barron Trump is a natural,” another said of Barron. “I completely own this moment.”
Fox News Digital’s Brooke Curto and Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report.
Andrea Margolis is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can send story tips to andrea.margolis@fox.com.
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