All Of The Times Donald Trump Has Awkwardly Mentioned Barron's Height
Being a tall man definitely has its advantages, like being able to reach high shelves and having a good view of the action even in a crowd, but it also has its fair share of drawbacks. Among them, per Metro UK, are being cramped in plane seats, walking into low-hanging hazards, and not being able to find clothes that fit. Then there are the constant and completely unnecessary reminders about your height. It seems that folks just can't resist remarking, "How's the weather up there?" and "Do you play basketball?" every time they encounter an, um, vertically-blessed person.
Consider, then, how much more annoying it must be when even your parents can't resist mentioning your stature to total strangers. That's the situation in which Barron Trump currently finds himself. The high school senior, who turned 17 in 2023, is already considerably taller than his dad, Donald Trump, who has described himself as being 6'3". Rumors have spread that Donald and Barron have a tense relationship because of their height difference, with journalist Michael Wolff claiming Donald hates to be seen or photographed with anyone taller than he is, including his youngest son, because it damages his imposing tough-guy image.
While there's no way to confirm such stories, there's no denying the former president mentions Barron's height quite a bit. That in itself isn't surprising, but what is awkward is that Donald seemingly doesn't have much else to say about his youngest son. Granted, he's not known for being a sentimental dad, but some of his comments have been especially cringey.
Barron was called the Trump Tower
When he first took up residence in the White House, in 2017, Barron Trump was just 11 years old and still short enough to look up to his mom and dad. But by the time the family moved back to their Mar-a-Lago resort home in Florida, once Donald Trump's tenure was up, the former first son had shot up like the proverbial weed. It was a fact his father was quick to note during a speech he made at the June 2021 North Carolina GOP convention dinner.
By way of introducing daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who had been mulling a run for state senate at the time, Donald said, "I love my family. I happen to love this particular young man that [Lara is] married to. He's a very tall person by the way, but not as tall as Barron. Barron is six-foot-seven, can you believe it, and he's 15. Eric [Trump] is short. He's only six-foot-six, but we love our Eric and we love them all," (via Rev).
If Eric was put off by the suggestion he was less lovable than his stepbrother because of his height, he didn't show it. In July 2021, paparazzi caught Barron and Melania Trump leaving their penthouse home, leaving no doubt about the teen's transformation. The New York Post teasingly called him "the newest Trump Tower," cheekily adding that Barron "tower[ed] over" his 5'11" former model mother and (allegedly) 6'3" father.
Barron Trump, employee?
In November 2023, Donald Trump sat down for an interview with the podcast arm of "Moms for America," a right-leaning organization aimed at establishing conservative values in homes and schools. Asked about his wife and youngest son, Melania and Barron Trump, Donald once again couldn't help commenting on his son's height. "[M]y son [is] a fantastic guy," he began (via X, formerly Twitter). "He's a big tall guy too, very tall [...] about six-eight. He's up there, right? He's a great — he's a great young man, he's a very good student, and I think he's doing a good job, Barron. I think he's doing a very good job."
The former president's attempts at parental bragging fell flat on X. Commenters pointed out that not only did Donald once again bring up Barron's height, but he also oddly mentioned his son's name three sentences into the speech — as if the controversial politician had to take a moment to remember what it was. One reply offered a snarky thanks to the organization: "It is proof positive that he has NO clue about his son, and is an absent father at best."
Another mused, "Trump talks about his son like he's an employee." A third observer noted, "Usually, parents light up when asked about their children. [The interviewer is] more excited about Barron than Trump is." And one commenter put it even more bluntly by stating: "How does he know? Does he ever see him? How many times has he ever done any 'dad' things with his son?"
Barron will be great someday
Kids often get embarrassed when their parents start publicly bragging about them: "Orlando's home run helped get the team into the state championships!" "Tansy's Etsy shop already made 8,000 sales!" But it's probably even worse when those boasts aren't exactly enthusiastic and take place on the world stage. In April 2023, following Donald Trump's arraignment in a Manhattan court just hours earlier on criminal charges of falsifying records, he made a speech at Mar-a-Lago blasting the indictment and everyone involved in it.
Yet, even in the midst of his tirade, Donald took a moment to acknowledge his family — and toss in a mention of Barron Trump's stature, of course. As seen here in footage shared by the Daily Mail, the former president pointed out Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and several other family members in the audience, remarking, "I have a son here who's done a great job, and another son here, he's done a great job. And Tiffany, and Ivanka — and Barron will be great someday."
Donald continued, "He's tall. He's tall. And he's smart. But I have a great family, and they've done a fantastic job, and we appreciate it very much." Barron wasn't in the audience at the time (nor was Ivanka, for the record), so he didn't get to hear his father mention his height yet again — or imply that he was less accomplished than his step-siblings. Among the commenters on the story was a Pittsburgh parent who noted, "Hmmm, my kids were always great no matter what age they were."