Barron Trump will once again have a father holding the top seat in the White House. Donald Trump is returning for his second term as President of the United States in January, though his youngest son won’t join him this time.
The 18-year-old Barron has just begun his first year at New York University, where he will study business, just as his dad did.
While Melania has shielded Barron behind the doors of Mar-a-Lago, his father has continued to be a very public figure. During Barron’s upbringing, Melania ensured that he didn’t have to read all the nasty things said about his father in the press. Some things, it must be assumed, will find their way to him anyway.
As per reports, the youngest son of the President-Elect received the terrifying news that his father had been shot during a rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. Luckily, Donald Trump survived. The attack left deep scars on the Trump family, and for Melania, another big fear grew larger and larger: that someone might try to kill her son.
Barron has been closely connected to his father, Donald Trump, all his life. The young boy lived by his father and mother’s side at the White House during Donald’s first presidential tenure, but things will be different now that the teenager has enrolled at New York University to study business.
Only time will tell whether Barron will follow in his father’s footsteps regarding business empires and politics. Earlier this year, Barron could have made his political debut as he was picked by the Republican Party of Florida as one of the state’s at-large delegates to the Republican National Convention, according to a list of delegates, as per NBC News.
Barron Trump political career
“We have a great delegation of grassroots leaders, elected officials and even Trump family members,” Florida GOP chairman Evan Power said. “Florida is continuing to have a great convention team, but more importantly we are preparing to win Florida and win it big.”
Several Trump family members, including Donald Jr., Eric, and Tiffany, served as delegates for Florida, where their father has officially resided and voted for the last number of years. As a delegate, Barron would be standing on the convention floor, joining the Florida delegation in formally nominating his father.
Becoming one of the state’s at-large delegates to the Republican National Convention would’ve been Barron’s highest-profile political role to date. However, he and his mother had other plans. Melania Trump’s office eventually issued a statement to say that Barron had declined the invite.
“While Barron is honoured to have been chosen as a delegate by the Florida Republican Party, he regretfully declines to participate due to prior commitments,” a spokeswoman for Melania said.
As mentioned previously, Barron has rarely been seen in public in recent years. By ll accounts the boy was focused on graduating from his high school, the private Oxbridge Academy. But in January, the world saw the former — and future — POTUS’s youngest son as he joined his family at the funeral for his grandmother, Melania’s mother, Amalija Knavs.
Melania Trump made “strategic” choice for Barron’s future
Meanwhile, Melania seems to have been slowly incorporating Barron into the family’s public life. For last year’s Trump family Christmas photo, Barron posed with his father, three siblings, and other family members in a rare picture.
According to Melania’s former senior aide, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Barron’s appearance in the picture was “truly monumental,” as she claimed his “strategic” mom is preparing him for the future.
“Melania’s decision to include Barron in this family activity, even if she couldn’t be there herself, might be a significant turning point, potentially fostering a new level of support between Melania and Donald,” she told the New York Post.
“Barron’s appearance is truly monumental and shows Donald and Melania are in lockstep with one another. I believe we will be seeing more of him now. Nothing happens by chance with Melania.”
Barron has been largely shielded from the media by his mother for almost all his life. He was barely seen during the four years he lived at the White House, and in the years after their exit from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the young boy continued to be kept behind closed doors.
Earlier this year, there were reports about Melania keeping Barron in a “tight bubble” behind the gates of their Palm Beach mansion, Mar-a-Lago. Sadly, in today’s digital era, it isn’t a wild guess to assume that he got word of the July 13 assassination attempt on his father.
One person – a volunteer fire chief – was killed in the shooting that also left two spectators seriously wounded. Donald Trump was shot in the ear. In early October, Trump returned to Butler for another rally.
Melania feared for Barron Trump’s life following the assassination attempt on Donald
“For 15 seconds, time stood still,” Trump told the crowd. “This vicious monster unleashed evil. The villain did not succeed in his goal.”
The horrifying assassination attempt did not affect only Donald but, of course, also his family. In a statement posted on X, Melania revealed the terrifying moment her husband got shot and how she realized that her and Barron Trump’s lives were “on the brink of devastating change.”
In July, Barron made a surprise appearance at his father’s rally at the Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami, Florida. That was his only rally appearance up until Election Day, and Melania was more than shaken after her husband had been shot.
“When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life was on the brink of devastating change. I am grateful to the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband,” Melania wrote, as per CNN.
“To the families of the innocent victims who are now suffering from this heinous act, I humbly offer my sincerest sympathy. Your need to summon your inner strength for such a terrible reason saddens me.”
Melania continued: “A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion – his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband’s life – his human side – were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.”
What security will Barron Trump get at New York University?
Barron has benefitted from Secret Service protection since he left the White House. During his time at Oxbridge Academy, the Secret Service was said to have followed him wherever he went, and he attended his classes under a different name. Agents followed him around campus, stood outside the classroom door, and even escorted him to the bathroom.
Barron was reportedly registered under Jack in school records and computers, the better to protect his data and grades from possible hackers. The teenager didn’t participate in sports and ate meals separate from his peers.
It should go without saying that the 18-year-old will continue to have Secret Service agents around him as he studies at New York University. The federal law enforcement agency previously confirmed that Barron will receive protection, but it didn’t specify exactly how.
Meanwhile, US Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi told Newsweek: “The President-elect has been receiving heightened Secret Service protection, and this level of security will be maintained moving forward.”
“While we cannot share specific details to ensure the integrity of our operations, family members and executive staff of the President-elect may also be afforded protection in accordance with federal law.”
Barron is considered a “soft target”
Guglielmi concluded: “Enhanced security measures around Palm Beach County, Florida, and New York City are also being coordinated. The Secret Service is committed to working with local partners in these cities to keep the community informed about any potential impacts to the public.”
Due to his studies, Barron will not live at the White House as he did during his father’s last presidential term. He will most likely continue living at Trump Tower, but whether Melania will be at his side is still to be determined.
So, what kind of protection is Barron Trump getting? Speaking with Newsweek, Paul Eckloff, a former Secret Service agent who worked with George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, as well as their families, told Newsweek that a president’s child is considered a “soft target,” as per a law enforcement and military term.
That means “they are perceived to be less protected, which makes them vulnerable but also creates a dangerous environment for those around them.” Eckloff said that it could mean that Barron could be “sitting in a student union – just as a hypothetical — and he may look alone, but he will not be alone. You will see [Secret Service agents] dressed as best as possible like students.”
Although Barron hasn’t been seen at his father’s side during the campaign, he reportedly played a critical role that could have won his father the election.
How Barron Trump helped his father win the presidential election
Speaking with the Daily Mail, Donald Trump revealed that Barron helped him connect with Gen Z voters through influences and podcasters.
“He is — he knows so much about it. Adin Ross — you know, I mean I do — some people that I wasn’t so familiar with. Different generation. He knows every one of them. And we’ve had tremendous success, as you know,” Trump told the UK news outlet in early September.
“We did three unusual — and I don’t know what you’d call them but it’s a platform — with three people that I don’t know, but three people that Barron knows very well,” Trump said. “[He] actually calls all of them like friends of his because it’s a different generation.”
Trump continued: “They don’t grow up watching television the same way as we did. They grow up looking at the internet or watching a computer. But Barron knew them.”