In a now-deleted X post, former NBC Universal executive Mike Sington said: “Barron Trump turns 18 today. He’s fair game now.”
His post immediately drew criticism from Republicans, with some calling the comment “creepy,” according to Newsweek. He told the outlet that he decided to remove it after reading some of the feedback.
“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,” he said. Sington – who, according to his website “co-created and produced Universal’s world famous Studio Tour” – also told Newsweek he intended the comment to mean that it is now fair for former Donald Trump’s youngest child to get criticism from the press.
Newsweek said it also reached out to Trump’s team for comment.
Trump is the presumptive GOP nominee for president in the November election. If he is elected to another term in the White House, he would serve while Barron is in college. According to sources cited by People magazine, “much of Barron's life of late has been focused on looking at colleges for his next chapter.”
His mother, former First Lady Melania Trump, is very involved in the process, said the magazine.
When Trump was elected as president in 2016, Barron was just 10 years old. However, that didn’t stop people from bullying him online, per CBS News.
“During the inauguration, off-color tweets began trickling in targeting 10-year-old Barron as he appeared behind his father during the various televised events of the day,” said the outlet. “Almost immediately, those jokes were condemned as inappropriate by people from both sides of the aisle. Journalists, comedians, and prominent political figures across the spectrum rushed to defend Barron, a child who did not ask to be put in the spotlight.”
Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton and Trump’s 2016 challenger, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – both Democrats – condemned the comments about Barron on X (then Twitter).
“Barron Trump deserves the chance every child does-to be a kid. Standing up for every kid also means opposing @POTUS policies that hurt kids,” she said.
CBS said that children of presidents have often received public scrutiny, including former President George W. Bush’s daughters and former President Barack Obama’s daughters.
“After it was announced that Malia would attend Harvard after taking a gap year, a slew of racist remarks reportedly forced Fox News to lock down its comments section,” said the outlet. Still, it said the norm is generally to leave first children alone.
Barron has mostly avoided the spotlight, even though his father hardly spends a moment out of the media’s watch. He moved from New York City to the Washington D.C. area when Trump became president and then transferred to a school near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
“He has a very good school in New York where he has a lot of friends," Trump told People during his first presidential campaign. “But I tell him if this happens, Daddy will help people, and can help children like him, and that makes him happy. He’s a young boy who is 9 years old and he is strong and smart and he gets it. He sees it.”
According to the magazine, Barron is close to his grandfather Victor Knavs, who lives at Mar-a-Lago, and was also close with his grandmother, Amalija Knavs. She died this January and Barron was recently photographed attending her funeral.