 "Barron Trump gestures after being acknowledged by his father US President Donald Trump during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena, in Washington. Barron has become a huge talking point online and offline, with many say he's the next Trump to keep an eye on. AFP")
It’s been two days since Donald Trump took over the reins at the White House and the world is still talking about his inauguration — many say it was the most expensive one to date. The grand ceremony also spawned several viral moments, including the US president’s missed kiss with his wife Melania and the apparent Nazi salute by ‘First Buddy’ Elon Musk.
But there was one big standout at the inauguration, which was held inside the Capitol Rotunda. We are talking about Trump’s youngest son, Barron Trump, who stole the spotlight. In fact, many believe that the young scion could be the next big Trump (no pun intended).
Standing ‘tall’ at the inauguration
When Donald Trump first entered office in 2017, Barron , his youngest child and the only one with Melania, was a shy 10-year-old, seen smiling while he stood with his elder siblings. However, eight years later, a lot has changed for Barron. While he remained largely at Melania’s side during the inauguration, the transformation was apparent.
During Trump’s oath-taking ceremony, Barron was seen smiling and clapping. He was also spotted on camera shaking outgoing President Biden’s hand as the veteran departed the Capitol following the inauguration.
Later, during the rally at the Capital One Arena in Washington, Barron received a thunderous applause. When US President Trump gave a shoutout to his family members, he also acknowledged Barron’s efforts in helping Trump secure the presidency. “I have a very tall son named Barron. Has anyone ever heard of him?” Trump said.
At that moment, 18-year-old Barron got up to applause from the crowd and waved to the crowds. He then put up his hand to the ear, egging the crowd to continue the cheering.
“He knew the youth vote. You know we won the youth vote by 36 points… He said ‘Dad, you’ve got to go out, do Joe Rogan, do these guys’. And we did. We did. Joe Rogan was great. They were all great, right? He understood the market,” Trump said in praise of his son.
In the recent past, the young Trump has become a star on his own right, with many focusing on the 18-year-old’s height. His vertical growth first became a talking point last November when Trump announced his victory in the presidential elections. Barron first emerged on stage, hovering over everyone else at six feet and nine inches.
Following in his father’s footsteps
Another reason why Barron is the next Trump to watch out for is his business acumen. Currently studying at New York University, reports state that Barron is planning on restarting his high-end real estate business that he founded with his prep school classmate.
Trump incorporated a real estate firm named Trump, Fulcher & Roxburgh Capital In on July 15, 2024, but it was subsequently dissolved on November 14, 2024, nine days after Trump was reelected as president.
Trump’s business partner and high school classmate, Cameron Roxburgh, told Newsweek that they dissolved the company to avoid media attention but planned to relaunch the firm later this year.
He added that Trump’s father approved of the idea and provided his son with advice but not funding.
Besides the real-estate venture, which wanted to develop high-end properties, including golf courses, in Utah, Arizona, and Idaho, Barron has been credited for many of Trump’s campaign strategies, including podcast appearances . As communications advisor Jason Miller told Sky News, “Hats off to the young man. Every single recommendation he had turned out to be absolute ratings gold.”
It is also reported that Barron is the one who has urged his father, Donald Trump, to invest and support certain cryptocurrency projects. For instance, Barron motivated his father to back the World Liberty Financial last September. This project, as Eric Trump noted, would challenge the power of big traditional banks by making crypto as smoothly hospitable to ordinary Americans as one of the Trumps’ famous hotels. Barron was also listed as the project’s “DeFi visionary”.
Additionally, reports also claim that Barron could be the mastermind behind Trump’s new meme coin, $TRUMP , that surged 300 per cent within hours after the launch.
The rise of Barron Trump
Born on March 20, 2006, Barron is the only child of Donald and Melania Trump. After graduating from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, he enrolled at New York University.
Barron’s decision to attend NYU is a break from family tradition. All of the Trumps — Donald Trump, sons Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump and daughters Ivanka and Tiffany — have attended or graduated from the prestigious universities in Pennsylvania and Washington, DC.
Barron spent much of his childhood at the Trump Tower in Manhattan, living there until his father was sworn in as the 45th president in early 2017. Barron moved into the White House when he was just 10 and lived there until 2019, when the family permanently relocated to Trump’s private club, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida.
Barron has four other siblings — Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump and Tiffany Trump. While Tiffany has stayed away from her father’s political career, the other children have all actively participated in Trump’s presidential campaign. Ivanka was one of Trump’s political advisers in his first term, but chose to stay away this time around. However, Barron’s brothers, Donald Jr and Eric, have been part of Trump’s inner circle, helping him to navigate the political waters.
With inputs from agencies