There was a glaring omission of 6 feet, 7 inches from the Trump family’s closing remarks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday.
Barron Trump, 18, who recently made campaign appearances alongside his father, was the only member of the family not present at the photo shoot, which featured his mother, Melania, and sister, Ivanka, making their first campaign appearances.
In May, it was widely reported that Barron would be one of the Florida delegates who would nominate Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. On Friday morning, the phrase “Where’s Barron?” became a trending topic on X.
Melania’s office quickly denied those reports. “While Barron is honored to have been chosen… he regrettably declines to participate due to prior commitments,” a statement from her office read.
On Thursday, the Trump campaign reiterated that Barron would not be present.
During his speech, Trump paid special tribute to his youngest son.
“I also want to thank my entire family for being here. Don, Kimberly, Ivanka and Jared. Eric and Lara. Tiffany and Michael. Barron… We love our Barron.”
The Trump family turned out in droves to celebrate Donald Trump’s nomination as the Republican presidential candidate in 2024
Notably absent was 18-year-old Barron Trump, pictured here at a rally for his father in Florida last week.
Three of Barron’s siblings, Don Jr., Eric and Tiffany, served as delegates from the Sunshine State, while the brothers addressed the event individually on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.
Meanwhile, Barron’s niece, Kai, 17, was one of the convention’s breakout stars when she took the stage to introduce her father, Don Jr., and speak fondly about her grandfather.
Barron’s mother, known for being extremely protective of her son, appeared at the convention, as announced by the Trump campaign, moments before her husband’s acceptance speech.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reports that Trump campaign agents tried “very hard” to convince Melania to give a speech at the convention, as she did in 2016 and 2020, but the former first lady was not interested.
Barron has long been the most reserved of all his siblings, with the possible exception of Tiffany.
In January 2024, he mourned the loss of his grandmother, Melania’s mother Amalija, who passed away at the age of 78. Barron is reported to be very close to his mother’s side of the family.
He turned 18 in March, sparking renewed media interest.
Melania Trump confirmed in May that, despite reports, her son would not serve as his father’s delegate to the convention.
Trump appeared surprised when Melania took the stage at the end of his speech.
The family event was marked by the absence of Barron Trump
One of Trump’s grandsons plays with balloons at the conclusion of the Republican National Convention
During his father’s trial, in which he was found guilty of falsifying business records to pay a porn star he allegedly had sex with when Barron was just months old, Trump was allowed to leave the proceedings to attend his high school graduation.
On July 9, Barron appeared at a Trump rally in Miami, where his father gave him high praise.
“This is the first time he’s done this. This is the first time, right? You’re pretty popular, he’s probably more popular than Don and Eric. We need to talk about this,” the former Apprentice host told the audience.
She also spoke glowingly about her son in an interview with Logan Paul in June.
“He’s a big boy, six-foot-nine,” Trump said of his youngest son during the wide-ranging interview posted online.
“And I couldn’t get him to play basketball. He plays football,” Trump said. “He’s also a good athlete. Good student, good athlete.”
“He’s a handsome boy, but he’s tall, there’s no doubt about that,” Trump continued of his son.
The former president joked that he did not want to take photos next to his son because of how tall he is.
“Maybe we should make him a wrestler,” Trump said before Paul, a professional wrestler, interrupted: “No, no.”
Barron was not present in Butler when crazed gunman Thomas Crooks, 20, attempted to murder his father.
Richard Grenell, a Trump insider, told Bloomberg this week that the attempted assassination of Trump, coupled with the fact that Barron left for college, have made this a difficult year for Melania.
“I think she’s in shock. Barron is going to school this summer, so it’s a tough time for parents to go from having their child around all the time to leaving the nest.”
It remains unclear what school Barron will attend amid reports that Melania will follow him wherever he goes, rather than living with her husband, even if Trump wins in November.
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