Barron Trump, President Donald Trump’s youngest child, hides from public view as he fears he could be the target of an assassination attempt, according to a report.
Barron, 20, is said to be desperate to keep a low profile following three attempts on his father’s life in two years.
The president and first lady Melania Trump’s son, who has just finished his sophomore year at New York University, is also well aware that Iran has been releasing propaganda videos entitled “Where to kill Barron Trump,” as well as offering a $10 million bounty on his head.
“He doesn’t go out,” one person close to Trump told the New York Post. Another source added: “The kid’s pretty reclusive.”
A source even told the outlet that Barron doesn’t like being spotted in public within the White House and prefers to move “quickly” and head straight to his private retreats.
“You don’t see him hanging around,” the source, close to the Trump family’s orbit, said.
President Trump was the target of an assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April. Trump was also injured in a shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024, with another assassination attempt against him foiled at one of Trump’s Florida golf courses in September 2024.
It is not just the attacks on his father that have impacted Barron. The 20-year-old is also said to have been affected by the murder of Charlie Kirk while taking part in a debate at Utah University last September.
Barron was a fan of the MAGA podcaster, and even phoned his father in a “state of distress” to tell him that Kirk had been shot, according to Regime Change, a book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.
“He had been worried about an assassin taking another shot at his father,” Haberman and Swan wrote. Barron is said to have told Trump, fearfully, “This is what happens when you go out there.”
Melania dropped a hint about Barron’s shyness in the widely panned documentary about the first lady, released by Amazon earlier this year.
In one part of the movie, Melania is heard telling Secret Service agents in January 2025, “I know Barron won’t go out. And I respect that,” while discussing plans for the first family to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue as part of Trump’s inaugural parade. The plan was ultimately shelved because of the cold weather.
One person that Barron was seemingly keen to be friends with while keeping his reclusive lifestyle was suspected rapist and sex trafficker Andrew Tate.
The New York Times reported last year how Barron “admired” the controversial manosphere figurehead, and spoke with Tate on the phone while he was having a suit fitted.
Tate also claimed that he had talked to Barron in the wake of the Butler assassination attempt against the president in July 2024.
“I’m very close to the Trump family,” Tate added. “I look forward to, once I am free, being with Donald Trump in person and reminding him that he’s a bulletproof badass.”
Tate, 39, along with his 38-year-old brother Andrew, appeared in a Florida court this week to fight extradition to the U.K., where they face dozens of charges, including rape and sex trafficking.
Barron was also credited with convincing his father to appear on a number of podcasts that are popular in the manosphere ahead of the 2024 election, including the Joe Rogan Experience and Adin Ross’ show.
Dr. Azita Sayan, a therapist who has dealt with adolescent trauma, says it is understandable why Barron would be so cautious given his proximity to high-profile incidents.
“Barron is probably a lot more aware and a lot more astute, and a lot more conscientious in terms of the real dangers,” Sayan told the Post.
“But reclusive doesn’t mean traumatized,” she added. “He’s protecting himself and making his friendships and his decisions privately rather than to have them be on display, which I think is developmentally healthy.”
