Donald Trump’s youngest child Barron, the only child he shares with his third and current wife Melania, has just recently turned 18 years old.
Because Barron was a minor throughout Donald’s entire presidency and his post-White House life thus far, the media has tended to stay away from him with the exception of a few minor and harmless notes, usually pertaining to the teen’s ginormous, towering height. In fact, over the course of the Trump family’s ongoing time in the spotlight, her only son’s privacy has been one of, if not the only, things that Melania Trump has ever worked hard at.
Barron himself, unlike most of his siblings, has been a rather quiet Trump spawn, showing up where required at some of his dad’s parties and events but otherwise staying largely quiet and unseen. All of that to say, even though he’s now technically an adult, the youngest Trump child hasn’t really done anything to suddenly start grabbing the attention of the media.
But nevertheless, it seems that a small sect of the media jumped on the poor kid’s 18th birthday as an open door for Barron Trump to become “fair game” — something that’s not going over well among the people on either side of the political fence.
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The suggestion that Donald and Melania Trump’s teen son is now “fair game” for media attacks came from former NBC executive Mike Sington, in a since-deleted post on X (formerly known as Twitter), on Barron’s 18th birthday.
“Barron Trump turns 18 today,” Sington wrote in the caption of an image of Barron and Donald Trump. “He’s fair game now.”
Suffice it to say, neither the Left nor the Right was very happy about a grown man who’s supposed to be a professional essentially targeting a teenager who hasn’t done a damn thing wrong.
Former Republican lawmaker Joe Walsh, who is now an independent citizen supporting Joe Biden, said, “This is a horrible thing to say. Take this tweet down.”
Right-wing internet personality Breanna Morello said, “Imagine how severe your mental illness has to be to wake up at 4:44am PT thinking about Barron Trump being 18 and ‘fair game.'”
Journalist Yashar Ali pointed out the most important part here, when he reminded the masses that Barron Trump “hasn’t bothered anyone.”
“He hasn’t bothered anyone and has never gotten involved in politics or made a public statement,” Ali said in response to Sington’s post. “He deserves to be left alone. All children of candidates who don’t put themselves out there should be left alone.”
Sington has since deleted the X post and spoken to Newsweek about it; not to apologize, but rather to rattle off his list of excuses for his shitty take:
‘I posted he was ‘fair game’ now, meaning, as an adult, he’s ‘fair game’ for criticism from the press.
Someone pointed out to me ‘fair game’ could mean fair game to be harmed.
I don’t wish physical harm on anyone, so I took it down. I listen to the comments and criticism I receive.”
Barron Trump is still a teenager — and he’s a quiet one, at that, seemingly just wanting to live his own life out of his father’s spotlight.
The media needs to allow him to do just that.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
