Could Barron Trump be his dad’s secret weapon in the 2024 election?
'He wants to save his legacy. And part of that is going to be working with or using Barron.'
‘Welcome to the scene,’ Donald Trump said as he introduced his 18-year-old son, Barron, to attendees at a rally in Miami.
The youngest of the Trump children has long stayed out of the public spotlight, with his mother Melania previously disapproving of her son potentially being a Florida delegate at the Republican National Convention in July.
But that seems to have changed – pumping his fist and waving at the crowd in Miami yesterday, Barron seemed ready to enter the world of politics.
He was around ten years old when his father first took office in 2016, and his mum Melania was sure to keep her only child out of the mayhem.
But as he prepares to head to university this autumn (his father said recently that they were ‘looking at some colleges that are different than they were two months ago’), Trump is prepping Barron for the spotlight.
The youngest of the Trump clan could be a secret weapon for his father this election season – now, an expert has spoken about the tactics at play by bringing out Barron.
Why did Trump introduce Barron at his rally?
Associate Professor of Political Marketing and Branding at Nottingham Trent University, Dr Christopher Pich, said a number of tactics are at play in the decision to bring out Barron on the campaign trail.
Trump has touted himself as a family man in each of his campaigns and previously got his family involved when he held office from 2017 to 2021. His daughter, Ivanka Trump, was a senior advisor in his administration and director of the Office of Economic Initiatives and Entrepreneurship.
But had Ivanka decided to run for office this autumn, Trump would have lost control of his family’s narrative. Barron, however, offers a different option.
Dr Pich told Metro.co.uk: ‘With Barron, he can have some sort of control, and he can start to write the narrative for the “Trump Dynasty”. I imagine he wants to be seen on the same stage as the Kennedy, Clinton and Bush families.
‘I think that’s what he’s turning to next – he wants to save his legacy. And part of that is going to be working with or using Barron.
‘That’s one of the reasons why he’s introduced him to the world stage – he’s really pushing this “fresh start”, my “young man” kind of commentary.’
Barron’s recent 18th birthday and decision to go to university is another way Trump can connect to voters, Dr Pich said.
He added: ‘He’s trying to use his family and again, Barron, who just turned 18, as a way to connect with the American public.
‘It will be interesting if that works because so many people go through that stage in their lives of deciding which university to go to and graduating and think about the wider world.
‘Again, it’s a contrast – whereas Joe Biden has obviously had some issues or there’s been scandals and struggles around Hunter Biden. Trump could be doing this as a way to remind voters about what’s happened with Hunter Biden.’
What does this mean for his campaign?
The joke from Trump about Barron being more ‘popular’ than his other two sons may have some truth to it.
Barron’s fresh faced appeal could prove useful to enticing younger voters to support him during this election.
Dr Pich explained: ‘All politicians want to be seen kissing a baby or shaking hands with young people because they want to have those positive images.
‘It will be interesting to see if Barron Trump is rolled out again and again and again and maybe even introduces himself at rallies going forward.’
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