An apparent rift between Donald Trump and his youngest son, Barron,
isn't over politics, business, or some personal slight. No,
the tale of the tape is the seeming problem between this father and son pair.
The former president is no stranger to feuding. He has a well-documented history of changing
allegiances on a dime, a lesson that his former allies turned enemies have learned
the hard way. Still, Donald's children have always managed to stay out of his
crosshairs — until now. Proving that there's room for only one Trump Tower in his life,
Donald is allegedly feuding with his youngest son, Barron Trump, over his height of all things.
Donald's relationship with his daughter, Ivanka Trump, and sons Donald Jr. and Eric Trump,
is tight. The three are all involved in the family business, and they were by their
father's side during his presidential campaign and term in office. However,
less is known about Barron and Donald's relationship. The teenager largely stayed
out of the spotlight during Donald's time in the White House. He has also kept out of the
media glare since the family relocated to Mar-A-Largo. PolitiFact notes that Barron
is enrolled at the Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Florida, until 2024.
However, there's no mystery about Barron's relationship with his mom,
Melania Trump. The former model clearly adores her only son,
and they have an extremely close bond. According to People, Melania is so focused on Barron that
she has no time for making friends and socializing. A source told the magazine,
"She is a doting mother to Barron and very protective of him. Barron has
always been a first priority in [Melania's] life."
That would mean Donald is, at best, number two.
Donald's hatred for being put in the shade has reportedly spilled over into his family life. In
"Siege: Trump Under Fire," author Michael Wolff claims that in addition to having a strained
relationship with Barron, Donald's also resentful of his height. Wolff suggests that the disgruntled
dad is so insecure about Barron eclipsing him that he refuses to be pictured next to him. During an
appearance on "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell," Wolff explained, that Donald is,
"Jealous of everyone's height. He never lets himself be in a
photograph with someone taller than he is."
Height is clearly a very touchy subject for The Donald,
and just how tall he actually is is…unclear. The Washington Post reports that when he was
arrested after arriving at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta in August,
the measurements he gave on his booking record raised more than a few eyebrows.
Donald claimed that he's 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 215 pounds,
placing him in the same ballpark as Tom Brady, who's 6 feet 4 inches and 225 pounds.
The Post notes that Donald's last White House physical listed him as being 25 pounds heavier,
at 240 pounds. Meanwhile, the former president has seemingly grown an inch taller since 2012.
Politico obtained a copy of Donald's driver's license, which states he's 6 feet, 2 inches tall.
Even with the discrepancies, if Donald feels overshadowed by his youngest,
he's not letting on. In an interview with Megyn Kelly, Donald claimed he and Barron "actually
get on very well" and then boasted about his height — all while possibly adding an extra inch.
"Barron's a very good athlete. He's very tall."
"He is tall. How tall is he?"
"About 6' 8"."
Trump's love of playing fast and loose with height and weight stats hasn't gone
unnoticed. Joe Scarborough made digs at Donald on his MSNBC show "Morning Joe."
"I've stood next to him many times. I'm about 6′ 4″. Maybe he's 6′ 1″, maybe he's
6' 1" and-a-half, 6′ 2″. He's a good bit shorter."
Scarborough said Donald's staff reporting his height
at 6-foot-3 was like his own staff saying he looked "like Robert Redford in 1974."
Being a target for jabs over his height and weight hasn't stopped Donald from
scorning others. In 2020, he took aim at former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg,
referring to him as "Mini Mike Bloomberg" in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter. Donald's
stature obsession runs so deep that he's been accused of "weaponizing height." The Washington
Post notes that he repeatedly disparages adversaries by using height-related nicknames.
The paper lists "Little Marco" to refer to Senator Marco Rubio,
"Little Katy" for reporter Katy Tur, "Little Rocket Man" in reference to
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and "Liddle' Adam Schiff" as examples.