Donald and Melania Trump have been married for two decades. They welcomed their son, Barron, in 2006, and while Donald focused on running his real estate business, Melania took primary responsibility for raising their child. Barron grew up surrounded by luxury at Trump Tower, and even now, Melania continues to place her 19-year-old son above all else.

Although Donald Trump has five children, there was the possibility of having more. Melania later shared that Donald did want additional children, but one key factor ultimately prevented that from happening.

When Melania Trump first met Donald, he already had four children. The couple married in 2005 and soon after welcomed Barron, making Melania a first-time mother. From the beginning, Barron’s life was anything but ordinary.

Melania has consistently made it her priority to shield Barron Trump from public scrutiny and media attention. While he has largely grown up away from the spotlight, that privacy was not possible on the day he was born, when public interest was unavoidable.

According to multiple media reports, just 20 minutes after Barron was born, Donald Trump phoned MSNBC’s long-running radio program Imus in the Morning, hosted by Don Imus, to share the news. Around the same time, a post on Melania Trump’s website announced that Barron Trump weighed 8½ pounds and measured 21 inches at birth.

“Everyone’s perfect,” Trump, then 59, told Imus. “I keep myself young, right? I have children; I stay young.”

Melania Trump decided not to hire a nanny when Barron was young

Later that same day, Trump also called Live with Regis and Kelly. Just two days earlier, host Regis Philbin and his wife, Joy Philbin, had visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago property. At the time, Philbin was unaware that Melania was about to give birth. Trump later explained that after the visit, he returned to New York to be with Melania for Barron’s arrival.

“When I left you, I had no idea this was going to happen,” Trump told Philbin, adding that Barron was born more than a week earlier than expected.

Given Donald Trump’s immense wealth, it’s no surprise that Barron Trump grew up surrounded by luxury. In an interview with Parenting, Melania Trump shared that Barron was fascinated by airplanes and helicopters from a young age. Despite their privileged lifestyle, she made it a point to prepare his breakfast and lunch herself, and the family chose not to rely on a traditional nanny.

“Barron is 9 years old. He needs somebody as a parent there, so I am with him all the time,” Melania said in a 2015 People interview. “As you know my husband is traveling all the time.”

We keep it down to a minimum,” the now-First Lady added. “If you have too much help, you don’t get to know your children.”

Melania revealed that Barron was into creating things as a young boy, and his mother supported that. The youngster even got to draw on the walls.

“In his space, the décor style of the rest of our home is mixed with what he is into: planes and helicopters,” Melania told Parenting, as quoted by Metro.

“He draws on the walls in his playroom”

“We let him be creative; let his imagination fly and do whatever he wants. Whatever he wants to do with his own room later on, he can do it. Whatever he wants to do with his own room he can do it. He draws on the walls, we can paint it over.”

“When he was smaller, he started drawing on the walls,” she added. “His imagination is growing and important. He draws on the walls in his playroom, we can paint it over. One day he was playing bakery and he wrote ‘Barron’s Bakery’ on the wall with crayons. He is very creative, if you say to a child ‘no, no, no,’ where does the creativity go?”

Growing up, Melania was the one closest to Barron. Donald focused his attention on his real estate empire, telling Larry King in 2005 that he was a relatively hands-off parent. Donald stated that he wasn’t “going to be doing the diapers” or “making the food,” adding that he “may never even see the kids.”

Although Donald wasn’t too involved in Barron’s childhood, Melania ensured he had quality time with his father. The two often went out for dinner together. As he grew older, Barron joined his father on the golf course.

“It’s very important to know the person you’re with. And we know our roles,” Melania explained.

Barron’s mother has helped him with his homework ever since childhood. He loved science and math, and Melania took him to different activities after school, encouraging him to reach for the stars.

“He wants to be a golfer, a businessman, a pilot. It’s that age when you introduce him to stuff,” she said.

Melania wants to be around Barron “as much as possible”

Barron graduated from high school last May after attending the private school Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Florida. In September, he enrolled at Stern Business School at New York University.

While the now 19-year-old is standing on his own feet, sources have told People Magazine that Melania “will do everything she can” to support Barron’s well-being and ensure his good grades. Meanwhile, he will not get the “full college experience” by living in a dorm.

“Living in a dorm in a college town isn’t in the stars for him at this point,” a source told People. “Barron already has his own political ideas. It all needs to be monitored in light of the situation.”

Another source told the news outlet that living at home is Barron’s best option now.

“Whether or not others think he is capable of being on his own, Melania feels it’s better to be around him as much as possible,” that source said. “I see that continuing.”

Melania is of Slovenian descent. Because of that, she raised Barron to be bilingual, and when he calls his grandparents in Slovenia, he speaks Slovenian. Both she and Donald agree that the more languages one speaks, the better, and at one point, Melania revealed that he spoke three languages. On a few occasions, the world even got to hear him.

Melania reveals Donald Trump wanted more children after Barron

Videos of a young Barron speaking with a Slovenian accent resurfaced after Donald Trump’s 2024 Presidential Election win. Entertainment Tonight shared a video of Barron speaking with his mother in 2009 when he was about to turn three. Barron was heard saying, “I like to play drums,” his mother added, “He loves to play drums, so maybe for his birthday, you will get the present?”

Another clip of a young Barron speaking with an accent resurfaced from the 2010 Larry King interview his parents did. The young boy appeared in his father’s office, saying, “I like my suitcase.”

Donald Trump was married twice before he and Melania tied the knot in 2005. His marriage to Ivana Trump lasted from 1977 to 1990, and the president’s second marriage to Marla Maples lasted five years.

With Ivana, Trump welcomed three children, Ivanka, Donald Jr, and Eric, and with Marla Maples, one daughter, Tiffany Trump. Barron is the youngest of Donald’s children, but if he had decided, there would have been more additions to the family.

Speaking with Fox and Friends last year, Melania revealed that Donald wanted more children after Barron was born. Meanwhile, Melania was pleased with just one.

“I was always perfectly fine with one. And Donald was encouraging [us] to have more,” Melania recalled. “And I said, like, ‘I’m completely fine with one because it’s [a] very busy life.’”

“I think it’s very important that we show our children that we are working too”

When Melania Trump first met Donald Trump, she was already a successful model. In the 1990s, she left her native Slovenia to build a career in the United States—and she quickly found success.

In her memoir, Melania described a “chaotic” moment in her home office when Barron Trump was young, with his books scattered “all over the floor” while he sat nearby in a toy car. During a Fox interview, she explained that she wanted Barron to see what a normal workday looked like for her, even while juggling motherhood.

“I think it’s very important to show our children that we work too,” she said. “To give them an example of what life is like—that we are productive, that we have ideas, and that ideas can turn into reality. That’s what I wanted to show Barron.”

Barron’s closest step-sibling in age is Tiffany Trump, who is 13 years older. Although Barron likely never lived full-time with his step-siblings, the family functioned as a blended one. In the same Fox interview, Melania shared her perspective on navigating those dynamics.

“You have to accept individuals as they are,” she explained. “You can’t control anyone except yourself—your behavior and your words. I’m not in control of my husband, his children, or even my own child. He is his own person. We are all individuals. When you live your life with respect and love, that’s what truly matters.”

Melania Turmp says Barron is an “incredible” young man

Melania went on to say she raised Barron to think independently and make his own choices. “I raised him as his own person and respected his yeses and nos,” she said. “It was his decision to come to New York, to study there, and to live at home—and I respect that.”

She concluded by praising her son, calling him an “incredible” young man. “I’m very proud of him—his strength, intelligence, knowledge, and kindness. It’s admirable,” she said. “He’s enjoying college, and I hope he has a wonderful experience, even though his life is very different from that of most 18- or 19-year-olds.”