Barron Trump shocked the world when he stepped out on stage with his father, Donald Trump, after his victory in the 2024 US election on Wednesday.
The 18-year-old joined his father, mother, Melania, and sister, Ivanka, at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, where he towered over his family at 6 foot 7.
People were shocked to see the teen’s huge stature, considering that his father is 6 foot 3 and his mother is 5 foot 9.
Trump addressed Barron’s height in January after the Iowa caucus, crediting his mother-in-law, Amalija Knavs, who passed away in the same month.
“Boy, did she take care of Barron,” he said of Melania’s late mother. “That’s how he got so tall– he only ate her food.”
He told the crowd that Amalija was “way up there, she’s looking down, and she’s so proud of us”.
© JIM WATSONHe continued: “I just want to say, Amalija, you are special. You are one of the most special people I’ve ever known.”
“And that was a tough period of time for the family but she’s amazing, she was amazing. So, I just want to thank what she’s done for our family and her husband.“
“Great people, great parents to all of us, really great parents but also to Barron,“ he finished.
© GIORGIO VIERAThe 78-year-old also joked about his son’s preferred sport, believing him to be well-suited to basketball.
“I said, ‘You’re gonna be a basketball player’. He said, ‘Well, I like soccer, Dad, actually‘. I thought…at your height, I like basketball better, but you can’t talk them into everything.”
When Barron moved into the White House for the first time, he was just 11 years old; now 18, he started his first year of college in the fall at the prestigious New York University, studying business in its hallowed halls.
© Getty ImagesHis mother has been fiercely protective of him in the past and gone to any length to maintain his privacy; this year was the first time that Barron joined his father on the campaign trail, and the former Apprentice judge revealed how helpful his youngest son was.
Trump appeared on a slew of popular podcasts, like that of Joe Rogan and Logan Paul, thanks to his son’s advice on how to reach a younger audience. “He tells me about all the hot guys,“ Trump told Maria Bartiromo in October. “People I never heard about.”
The President-Elect’s senior advisor, Jason Miller, revealed to Politico’s Playbook Deep Dive podcast that Barron had his finger on the pulse of the younger generation.
© Chip Somodevilla“Barron has been very involved in selecting or recommending, I should say, a number of the podcasts that we should do,“ he said.
“I got to tell you, hats off to the young man. Every single recommendation he’s had has turned out to be absolute ratings gold that’s broken the internet. He’s done a great job.”
It is unclear whether Trump’s youngest will stay at NYU, where he lives in the Trump Tower penthouse, or if he will return to the White House.
