Melania Trump stated on Friday during her first interview since the election that President-elect Donald Trump has been taking advice from their 18-year-old son, Barron Trump, praising him for his role in helping his father secure the victory in the 2024 presidential election.
While speaking on “Fox & Friends,” the future first lady mentioned that Barron “was very vocal” in guiding his father on which media appearances would help attract younger voters.
“He had a clear understanding of who his father should reach out to and engage with,” Melania noted on the Fox News show, emphasizing that younger voters have shifted away from television and primarily obtain information through podcasts, social media, and live streaming platforms. Consequently, Barron “contributed to the campaign’s success,” she stated.
“He is a mature young man. I take great pride in his understanding, even regarding politics and the advice he provides to his father—he attracted a significant number of young individuals. He relates well to his generation, as today’s youth no longer gather in front of the TV,” Melania Trump expressed.
In the final phases of the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump engaged with various popular podcasters like Joe Rogan, who boasts millions of followers, along with Theo Von, Lex Fridman, Adin Ross, among others. Vice President-elect JD Vance also made appearances on several podcasts, including Rogan’s show shortly after Trump.
Many of the podcast episodes featuring Trump amassed millions of views, with the Rogan episode achieving 52 million views in slightly over a month.
Earlier this year, the president-elect said he would trust his son’s political advice.
“He’s seen it. He doesn’t have to hear. He is a smart one. He doesn’t have to hear much. But … he’s a great guy,” Trump said in an interview with Philadelphia’s Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, as he was on trial in New York City on falsification of business records charges.
Melania Trump also fielded questions from Fox News on how their son is dealing with college as the son of a former president and now incoming president. An 18-year-old freshman, Barron Trump currently attends New York University in Manhattan.
“I don’t think it’s possible for him to be a normal student,” Melania Trump said in the interview. “This is your road,” she added, describing advice she had given to her son. “This is your life.”
Also in the interview, the soon-to-be first lady said that preparing to enter the White House for the second time looks a lot different from the first go-around. Now, she and her husband know what to expect, she said.
“I know what you need to establish, you know what kind of people you need to hire to be in your office,” she said in the rare television appearance, where she promoted holiday ornaments she’s selling and her memoir as Christmas approaches.
She said her husband’s attitude after his 2024 win was not the same as when he won in 2016.
“The country and the people really supported him,” she said. “I think the energy is different. People around him are different.”
She also described working on her memoir, which was released several months ago, as a process that was “very personal and could be sometimes very joyful, but also traumatic and hard.” In the book, titled “Melania,” she described her feelings after learning and seeing that her husband was shot in the right ear during a Pennsylvania rally in July.
Her husband is due to be inaugurated for his second term as president in about a month and a half, on Jan. 20, 2025. The new Congress will certify the November presidential election results on Jan. 6, 2025.
