Politics might be a full-time gig, but for Melania Trump, parenting a 19-year-old is just as demanding.
The first lady recently said her teenage son, Barron Trump, still requires full-time attention, even as he enters adulthood.
She made the remarks while promoting her new documentary, Melania, which premiered Thursday at the Kennedy Center.
Highlights
- Melania Trump says parenting 19-year-old Barron is a nonstop job requiring full attention, even as he moves into adulthood.
- Barron Trump transferred from NYU Manhattan to D.C. campus, living with parents while continuing his business studies.
- Barron gained public attention after witnessing a London assault and reporting it via video call to police.
Melania Trump said she needs to be there 'nonstop' for her 19-year-old son
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“You need to be there for a child nonstop, especially when they need you, especially at that age that Barron is,” Melania said to Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo on Thursday morning.
Barron Trump, a sophomore at New York University’s Stern School of Business, has kept a low profile compared with other members of the Trump family. He recently moved from NYU’s Manhattan campus to the Washington, D.C., Academic Center, choosing to move back in with his parents while continuing his studies.
According to Melania Trump, he has taken a more active role in his father’s second term than he did during the first, which began when Barron Trump was just 10 years old.
“He understands politics, he gives advice to his father. We talk about it so differently,” she said. She added in another Fox News interview that Barron Trump was also very involved in Trump’s campaign, giving the president advice on people to talk to, including YouTubers and podcasters.
Like his mother, Barron Trump has no social media presence and reportedly keeps to himself on campus. He drew public attention earlier this month after he served as a key witness in a London assault case.
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The case involved a Russian man who was convicted of assaulting his then-girlfriend in London just two days before Trump’s second inauguration. Barron Trump had reportedly called the London police, where he reported witnessing the attack over a video call. The man admitted to assaulting his girlfriend after he was jealous of her connection with Barron.
Weeks before the incident, Barron Trump had come under fire online after being linked to a close associate of right-wing internet influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate. The Tates, known for their hypermasculine and misogynistic content, face human trafficking charges brought by multiple women in multiple countries. They have denied any wrongdoing.
The first lady said she and Donald Trump are 'very proud' of Barron Trump
Image credits: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Despite the incident, Melania Trump has stood by her son, calling him “an incredible young man” whom she and Donald Trump “are very proud of.”
“[Melania] has a wonderful son that she loves probably more than anybody, including me—I hate to say it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office in August.
The mother-son duo will also be featured in the documentary Melania, which covers the 20 days leading up to Trump’s second inauguration. Produced by Amazon MGM Studios, the film offers a behind-the-scenes look at the first lady’s daily life.
Image credits: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
The $75 million documentary saw nearly empty theaters and modest ticket sales on its opening night.
Attendance was so bleak in Boston that Axios reported a Craigslist ad offering Boston residents $50 in cash plus a free ticket to attend and sit through the entire movie this weekend.