Opinion: The Barron Fist Pump That Reveals Donald Trump’s Plan for a MAGA Dynasty
Barron Trump looked born for the role. Which, of course, he was. Earlier this week he made his first appearance at one of his father’s political rallies. And he looked anything but an 18-year-old novice.
Barron was sitting at the front of the crowd but as soon as Donald Trump pointed at him and began to introduce him, the 18-year-old moved like a practiced veteran. He raised his 6-foot-7-inch frame upwards, waved his right hand to all sides and acknowledged the applause. This looked easy.
Towering over those around him he then held a clenched left fist above his head in a power salute, turned to the crowd behind one more time and cracked a knowing, half-smile.
That was the money shot. The choreography could not have been better.
This was a very different Barron to the understandably shy, awkward 10-year-old who first appeared in 2016 during his father's election victory. Melania, understandably, moved to protect the young child. Mother and son famously stayed in New York for several months rather than move immediately to Washington after Trump’s victory, so that Barron could complete his schooling.
Barron Trump was once fiercely protected by his mother Melania from the public, with the former first lady intervening earlier this year when he was named a delegate at the Republican National Convention.
But there was nothing shy, or awkward about the Barron that moved center stage on Tuesday. This was a consummate, if fleeting, appearance by a political debutant. If the young man harbors political ambitions, then this event—and that photo—will be a coming-of-age moment.
Forget (for now) the grizzled, bearded Don Jr., or the other son. If you’re wanting to craft a political dynasty to rival the Kennedys or the Clintons (which Trump aspires to), then Barron may just have assumed the starring role.
His father hinted as much. On Tuesday night, after lengthy applause for his son's debut, Trump said, “That’s the first time he’s done it. That’s the first time, right?
“You’re pretty popular, he might be more popular than Don and Eric, we gotta talk about this. Hey Don, we gotta talk about this.”
Don?
In the family dynamics of the Trump dynasty, Don Jr. appears to have been passed over in favor of Barron, with Eric also missing out.
It was a winning look for Republicans. Former Melania Trump White House Chief of staff Stephanie Grisham told DailyMail.com: “He’s statesmanlike. It’s almost like royalty.” Fox News gushed about how the younger Trump was greeted with “sustained applause.”
For Republicans, who are desperate to energize more young people to vote, the emergence of Barron as a youthful, fresh new face is a political win.
Quite what Melania made of it is open to question. Earlier this year it was announced that Barron would serve as one of his father’s delegates to the Republican convention (next week), where his father will officially be nominated as the GOP candidate for the November election. But soon after the announcement Melania’s office released a statement which vetoed any such plan.
“While Barron is honored to have been chosen as a delegate by the Florida Republican Party, he regretfully declines to participate due to prior commitments,” it said. But Barron is now 18 and, to a degree one assumes, free to make his own decisions.
The idea of a Trump political dynasty is not new. First it was Ivanka who was assumed to be leading the succession. But she departed frontline politics in late 2022 and announced she would play no role in her father’s re-election campaign.
Since then, the pugilistic Don Jr. has moved center stage. He hosts a popular podcast, Triggered, and acts as rottweiler-in-chief for his dad. Earlier this week he followed his father’s Truth Social post on George Clooney’s takedown of Biden and added his own blend of venom and nastiness. “Stupid George Clooney held a fundraiser for Joe Biden like three weeks ago… and only now he understands that the guy is a vegetable? Give me a break.”
In the MAGAsphere this sort of language is what passes for political discourse.
And, although revered by sections of the MAGA crowd, Don Jr. may not have the political ambition to be the next-in-line. He is currently running shotgun for J.D. Vance, hoping to persuade his dad that his fellow bearded one is a better bet for VP candidate than Marco Rubio.
Don Jr. is a reliable crowd-pleaser for the base and will be on display at the Republican National Convention announcing his father’s vice presidential pick–which somewhat tempers his own chance at political ambition.
If Vance is chosen as Trump’s VP candidate (which seems increasingly likely) it would follow that he would be a Republican frontrunner for the White House in 2028, limiting Don Jr.’s opportunities. If Trump opts for someone else, it would suggest that Don Jr.’s political antennae are not as aligned with his father’s as once was the case.
Either way, Don Jr.’s political ambitions look dulled. While the eldest son remains a considerable force and powerful influence on Trump behind the scenes, the spotlight may eventually fall on the youngest son. For Don Jr., the moment may have passed. One is reminded of the then-upstart U.K. Conservative leader David Cameron goading the-then veteran British Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2005, “You were the future once.”
As Barron sat down to ringing applause, looking pleased with himself, his father addressed him again. “So Barron, it’s good to have you. Welcome to the scene, Barron. He had such a nice, easy life. Now it’s a little bit changed.”
Just a little. Welcome to the scene.
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