Barron Trump Clearly Isn't Staying On The Sidelines In Adulthood

On March 20, 2024, Barron Trump turned 18. Officially legal, the youngest son of Donald and Melania Trump is now allowed to vote in the next presidential election — which may include his father on the ballot. Barron has largely lived out of the spotlight, even when Donald was in The White House. That seems to be changing, though, with the 6'7" offspring appearing more often in the public eye.

On April 3, 2024, business tycoon Justin Waller posted a photo on X, formerly Twitter. Taken during a visit to Mar-a-Lago, the image features Barron in the center of four other men: MMA fighter Colby Covington, Waller, businessman Patrick Bet-David, and Bo Loudon, the teenage son of news commentator Gina Loudon. The photo has caused quite a stir, collecting over 28 million views and thousands of comments. While there are several popular figures posed side by side, the attraction seems to be Barron, standing inches above the rest — in comparison, Waller also posted another photo from the same night, just him and Donald Trump; that one only garnered 2.5 million views.

Just a few days earlier, Barron and Melania were seen together in Mar-a-Lago, the two waving at a crowd instead of ducking from the cameras. As he embraces his newfound status as an official adult, Barron Trump is ready to step into the public eye and no longer seems content to stay on the sidelines.

Mom Melania may have loosened the reigns

Barron Trump was 10 years old when his father, Donald Trump, was elected president of the United States. Barron Trump was rarely seen in public during his father's campaign and, under the protective eye of his mom Melania Trump, was mostly hidden for the four years Donald was in the Oval Office. When Barron was 13, Melania clapped back at someone who mentioned her son at a hearing, writing on X, "A minor child deserves privacy and should be kept out of politics."

While Melania adamantly adhered to that credo throughout Baron's childhood, now that her son is 18, she seems to have released him into the wild. Whether Melania gave Barron permission or Barron took the lead, the youngest Trump son seems to be stepping up to support his father in his latest presidential run.

The photo that Justin Waller posted on X wasn't the only one to emerge from that night — MMA fighter Colby Covington posted an image on Instagram from the same gathering at Mar-a-Lago, this one featuring himself, Donald, and Barron. The photo was posted to Instagram, and all three men are smiling (yes, including the usually stoic and straight-faced Barron). While the 28 million views from Waller's post may not have been anticipated, Covington has over one million followers on Instagram, so the Trumps knew his appearance would attract some attention. And that seems like it's more than okay with the newly-adult Barron.