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'Furious' Melania Trump 'appalled' over viral autism video of son Barron

Home> News> Politics

Updated 14:32 24 Jan 2025 GMTPublished 16:04 22 Jan 2025 GMT

'Furious' Melania Trump 'appalled' over viral autism video of son Barron

The first lady previously rushed to defend her 18-year-old son Barron after he went viral online

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle

The world watched on as the Trump family, Donald, Melania and Barron, celebrated the Republican leader getting officially sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.

All three of the family members had some pretty memorable moments during the inauguration with Trump making a pretty major mistake within hours of being in the role, Barron being called out over his 'ear thing' and, of course, the first lady's statement fashion choices.

Speaking of the latter, Melania's always been fiercely protective over Barron - the only biological son she shares with Trump.

Trump, however, has four other children with three separate women.

Back in 2016, Barron became the brunt of a joke made by comedian Rosie O'Donnell, in which she alleged he had autism.

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O'Donnell - who has endured a feud with the Trump family for decades - teased on Twitter ahead of his 2016 win: "Barron Trump autistic? - if so, what an amazing opportunity to bring attention to the AUTISM epidemic."

The tweet came in response to a video of the child clapping without actually slapping his hands together following a speech made by his father at the Republican National Convention.

Melania and Barron Trump at the inauguration (Ricky Carioti - Pool/Getty Images)
Melania and Barron Trump at the inauguration (Ricky Carioti - Pool/Getty Images)

Though TV personality O'Donnell later apologised for her remark, an excerpt from Melania's titular memoir detailed the mother-of-one's thoughts on the matter, in which she claims the incident left her 'furious'.

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"I knew the tweet and video would go viral and I knew how much it would hurt him," she wrote.

"I was appalled by such cruelty. It was clear to me that she was not interested in raising awareness about autism.

"I felt that she was attacking my son because she didn’t like my husband."

Despite adding that Barron does not suffer from the neurodevelopment disorder, Melania went on to insist there would be 'nothing shameful' if he did.

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She continued: "Someone had painstakingly compiled the footage and added captions like, 'His hands are moving erratically and aren’t touching each other.

The first lady was 'appalled by such cruelty' (Pool / Pool / Getty Images)
The first lady was 'appalled by such cruelty' (Pool / Pool / Getty Images)

"'Then he was spotted making strange movements in his seat, typical of children with autism.'"

The video was eventually taken down after Melania threatened legal action.

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Trump has already signed several executive orders which are legally-binding written orders to the federal government that do not require congressional approval.

He's also made some extremely serious moves to end birthright citizenship leaving some to wonder what will happen to Barron's US citizenship.

Barron, whose mother is Slovenian-born Melania, was born in Manhattan back in 2006.

He's a US citizen by birth as, at the time of his birth, Trump was a 'natural-born US citizen' while his mother was a lawful permanent resident who has held a green card since 2001.

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This means the executive order wouldn't impact him.

Featured Image Credit: Saul Loeb - Pool/Getty Images

Topics: Melania Trump, Barron Trump, Donald Trump, Celebrity, Politics, US News

Rhiannon Ingle
Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Senior Journalist at Tyla, specialising in TV, film, travel, and culture. A graduate of the University of Manchester with a degree in English Literature, she honed her editorial skills as the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the UK’s largest student newspaper. With a keen eye for storytelling, Rhiannon brings fresh perspectives to her writing, blending critical insight with an engaging style. Her work captures the intersection of entertainment and real-world experiences.

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