Though there's been all kinds of juicy speculation about Ivanka and Melania's relationship, we
know surprisingly little about how Melania Trump relates to her own child with Donald
Trump, Barron. From her hands-on parenting to her prioritizing his schooling, here's
what we know about their bond.
Barron William Trump was born on March 20, 2006, the first and only child of Donald and
Melania Trump. Donald Trump reportedly picked the name Barron, a reference to an alias he
used when speaking to the press John Barron according to The Washington Post. Apparently
as early as 1980, Donald would actually act as his own "spokesman," giving the media a
different name when he talked to them.
Though much has been written about the origin of the Barron moniker, not much exists about
his middle name except for Melania Trump's involvement. Houston Chronicle reported that
Melania got to pick Barron's middle name, William.
Donald Trump has been a fairly hands-off parent with his son Barron, a style he told the world
he'd have during a 2005 interview with Larry King.
"I'm not going to be doing the diapers, I'm not going to be making the food, I may never
even see the kids, frankly."
And this seems perfectly fine by Melania Trump. In a 2012 interview with Parenting, Melania
claimed that Donald not changing diapers was not a problem, saying:
"It's very important to know the person you're with. And we know our roles."
Though Melania Trump had her own cosmetic and jewelry businesses before she was in the
White House, she mostly ran those from the family's penthouse at Trump Tower. Working
at home gives you ample time to spend with your children, which Melania took full advantage
of.
In a 2011 interview with The Mommy Helper Show, the then-future first lady dished on
her situation.
"I like to spend as much time as possible with him because, you know, children... they
need your attention."
Many families in the Trumps' financial situation may opt to let professionals do most of the
child rearing and hire nannies for the figurative heavy lifting. But Melania Trump was far more
hands-on when Barron was a small child. According to an interview in People, the couple had
cooking and cleaning help, but they didn't have nannies in the traditional sense. Melania
was with him, quote, "all the time."
For his part, Donald Trump reiterated the family's decision to go without nannies, saying
he liked to keep professional help "to a minimum,” and that having too much help might lead to
a parent not knowing their children, adding:
"I've always prided myself on being a good father."
Though Barron Trump is now noticeably taller than both his parents, Melania Trump still
thinks of herself as his guide. Or at least so say body language experts who've observed
the first lady and her son during photo opportunities. Body language expert Bruce Durham told Express:
"Melania is the guiding influence. Her left hand on her son's back says 'it's ok, come
on you, can do this' and her right hand palm down in front of Barron says 'calm down, I
have got you."
Durham used photographs of Melania fixing Barron's tie at the 2017 presidential inauguration
as further proof of this guiding role, saying:
"It seems she is saying, 'There you go, son. Now you look smart."
Basically, it was the inaugural version of a mom wiping tomato sauce off your face before
you went back outside after dinner.
Remember the first time your parents left you home alone for the night, and you felt
like you'd just inherited a sprawling estate where you could live however you liked? That's
what happened in late 2018, when Melania Trump reportedly let Barron have the run of Mar-a-Lago
while she joined Donald Trump to visit troops in Iraq, as reported by the Daily Mail. Though
she came back early, it was presumably still a major step for young Barron, even if he
had Secret Service agents watching him.
And while Donald Trump's youngest son might not have gone all Kevin McCallister in the
presidential vacation home, it did show Melania's willingness to give him some independence.
Melania Trump's lead initiative as first lady is Be Best, an anti-drug and anti-bullying
campaign aimed at children, with a special focus on social media. And though she does
not directly connect the program with her son, Barron, when speaking about the program,
she's cited him as an example of how she hopes to affect other children.
"I teach him to be responsible, and treat people with respect and kindness, and that's
very important for me."
She admitted that the campaign might ruffle some feathers preaching kindness and respect
on social media can sometimes seem in direct contrast to her husband's blunt style of online
communication but Melania believes her course is what's best for future generations.
"And sometimes you need to fight back. I'm sorry."
According to the White House's official website, the duties of First Lady Melania Trump are
expansive. They range from working with children's charities and visiting hospitals to spending
time with victims' families after mass shootings and natural disasters. She does all of this
while also heading up her Be Best campaign against drugs and bullying. But despite her
demanding schedule and the businesses she ran before moving into the White House, Melania
still sees herself as Barron's mom first. She told Parenting:
"I am a full time mom; that is my first job. The most important job ever. I started my
business when he started school."
Melania went on to detail the multitude of tasks she does for Barron, but she also stressed
it was important for kids to be around a parent who worked doing what they love, saying:
"Children need to see a parent do what her passion is. It is a good example for a child."
Barron Trump's mother, Melania Trump, is a native of Slovenia, and, as such, she has
raised her child to speak fluent Slovenian. Barron is, obviously, fluent in English. Though
at one time he sounded much more like his mother than his father, evidenced during a
Larry King interview during which Barron was heard speaking with a distinct Slovenian accent.
"I have to go to school now. Yeah, you will have lunch and then you go to school. Now
I'm going to go? Yeah, first you will have lunch and then you go to school."
When King asked Donald Trump what he thought of the accent, he said he loved it.
It's not clear whether Barron Trump still speaks with a slight accent since he doesn't
really make public speeches. Though we'd assume the accent is gone since he's gone to school
in America.
For the most part, even a president's harshest critics deem first children off limits. But
in the rare times Barron Trump has been dragged into the political dogfight, Melania Trump
has defended him with the ferocity of an untamed mama bear.
During Donald Trump's impeachment hearings in 2019, the Associated Press reported Stanford
law professor Pamela Karlan testifying that Trump could, quote, "name his son Barron,"
but "can't make him a baron." Her insinuation was that Donald was a president and not a
king, but Melania wasn't hearing it. She quickly fired off a tweet, telling Karlin,
"[You] should be ashamed of your very angry and obviously biased public pandering, and
using a child to do it."
Television hosts aren't immune from Melania's maternal rage either. The Hill reported that
when Food Network's John Henson quipped on Twitter that he hoped Barron could spend Father's
Day with, quote, "whoever his dad is," Melania was quick to cut him down. Almost immediately,
a spokesperson issued a statement from the first lady, saying,
"Sadly we continue to see inappropriate and insensitive comments about the President's
son [Barron Trump]."
In 2020, Melania was largely absent from the campaign trail. Of course, that's fairly understandable,
what with the global pandemic and all. But in 2016, things were a little different, yet
Melania was still noticeably absent at the majority campaign events.
Some drew conclusions when Melania effectively disappeared from the campaign trail after
her reportedly plagiarized speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention, but her absence
was not as simple as embarrassment. Interviews Melania gave earlier in the campaign painted
a much different picture.
Case in point: a 2015 interview with Barbara Walters, during which Melania Trump revealed
the reason she wasn't out campaigning much with her husband.
"It's my choice not to be there," she said. "I support my husband 100 percent, but ... we
have a 9-year-old son together."
If you've ever eavesdropped on a date from across a restaurant, you know that body language
can tell you a lot about people. It can also show a marked difference in how parenting
styles vary between a mother and a father. Body language expert Judi James took a look
at how the Trumps reacted physically with Barron, and found evidence that Melania Trump
may be much more protective of son Barron.
James told Express that Donald's "signature pose" with Barron is one of pride, standing
behind his son with hands on his shoulders to show pride and endorsement.
Discussing Melania's body language, James said when Melania has her arms wrapped around
Barron or when she put her hands behind him as support when he was a toddler, it shows
she was the more protective parent.
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