President Trump’s youngest son Barron, 18, stepped into the spotlight at his father’s inauguration on Monday.
Standing at a towering 6’9″, many attendees and viewers remarked about how mature the younger Trump has become since his father first took office back in January 2017.
At 10 years old, Barron Trump was often the victim of cruel jokes and rumors from his father’s critics. His mother, Melania Trump, attempted to shield him from unwanted scrutiny, though sometimes to no avail.
On Monday, the first son commanded respect from onlookers as he stood by his father’s side during the inaugural ceremonies. Here’s a look at how Barron Trump has grown up since 2017.
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2017
At 10 years old, Barron Trump became the first son to reside in the White House since John F. Kennedy, Jr. in 1961.
Barron, who turned 11 in March of 2017, also lived at Trump Tower in New York at the same time, attending Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School on the Upper West Side.
Beginning in 2016, rumors swirled about Barron Trump possibly having autism, which comedian Rosie O’Donnell amplified. In 2024, Melania Trump said that the rumors deeply impacted her son, who was bullied at school.
“I was appalled by such cruelty,” Melania Trump wrote in her memoir. “It was clear to me that she was not interested in raising awareness about autism. I felt that she was attacking my son because she didn’t like my husband.”
“There is nothing shameful about autism (though O’Donnell’s tweet implied that there was), but Barron is not autistic,” she added. “Barron’s experience of being bullied both online and in real life following the incident is a clear indication of the irreparable damage caused.”
2018
Barron turned 12 years old in March 2018 and continued to be a common target for Trump’s enemies.
Actor Peter Fonda called for officials to “rip Barron Trump from his mother’s arms and put him in a cage with pedophiles.” He later apologized for the remarks.
“I tweeted something highly inappropriate and vulgar about the president and his family in response to the devastating images I was seeing on television,” Fonda said in the statement shortly after. “Like many Americans, I am very impassioned and distraught over the situation with children separated from their families at the border, but I went way too far.”
2019
Barron was 13 years old when his family permanently relocated to Mar-a-Lago in 2019. That year, Trump said he would have a “hard time” allowing his son to play football.
“I just don’t like the reports that I see coming out having to do with football — I mean, it’s a dangerous sport and I think it’s really tough,” Trump said at the time. “I thought the equipment would get better, and it has. The helmets have gotten far better, but it hasn’t solved the problem.”
During a 2019 House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing, Stanford law professor Pamela Karlan remarked that then-President Trump could “name his son Barron, he can’t make him a baron.”
Melania Trump was upset that her young son was mentioned at the hearing.
“A minor child deserves privacy and should be kept out of politics,” the first lady tweeted at the time. “Pamela Karlan, you should be ashamed of your very angry and obviously biased public pandering, and using a child to do it.”
2020
As Trump was fighting for his re-election bid in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the United States, Barron Trump continued to attend school and stayed out of the public spotlight. In 2020, “Jeopardy” host Ken Jennings apologized for a joke he told about Barron in 2017.
“Barron saw a very long necktie and a heap of expired deli meat in a dumpster,” Jennings tweeted at the time. “He thought it was his dad & his little heart is breaking.”
“Hey, I just wanted to own up to the fact that over the years on Twitter, I’ve definitely tweeted some unartful [sic] and insensitive things,” Jennings wrote in 2020. “Sometimes they worked as jokes in my head and I was dismayed to see how they read on screen.”
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2021
Barron Trump was 14 years old when his father left office in January. He lived with his mother at Mar-a-Lago full-time and stayed out of the spotlight.
In July 2021, he was seen leaving Trump Tower with Melania Trump.
2022
Barron Trump was 16 when FBI agents raided his father’s Florida estate. He kept a low profile during this year, but he was seen in public with both of his parents at the funeral of Ivana Trump, Trump’s first wife, in July 2022.
In November 2022, his father announced his bid for the presidency.
2023
As President Trump’s campaign kicked up again in 2023, Barron was still absent from the public spotlight. In August of that year, his father’s mugshot was released.
2024
Barron Trump matriculated at New York University (NYU) in the fall of 2024. He graduated from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach in May, and was seen attending classes at NYU’S Stern School of Business.
In November, he also voted for the first time, casting a ballot for his father in Florida.
2025
Barron looked sharp as he attended his father’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Later during the day, he waved to the crowd after his father mentioned his role in the 2024 campaign.
“I have a very tall son named Barron. Has anyone ever heard of him?” Trump said to cheers, as the first son waved at attendees.
“He knew the youth vote. You know, we won the youth vote by 36 points… He said, ‘Dad, you got to go out, do Joe Rogan, do all these guys,’” Trump recalled. “We did, we did. And Joe Rogan was great.”
The 18-year-old also wowed attendees when he shook hands with President Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris, with some social media users speculating that he may pursue a political career in the future.
“Barron Trump just shook hands with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” one X user wrote. “This kid will be our President one day. Bet on it.”
“Barron Trump is a natural,” another said of Barron. “Totally owned the moment.”
Fox News Digital’s Brooke Curto and Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report.
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