“Welcome, freshman.” First year at NYU? It’s a wrap for Barron Trump.
For the most part, the 19-year-old only child of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump navigated his first year at New York University’s Stern School of Business away from the public eye − as much as was possible anyway.
It’s not every day your father runs for president of the United States, wins and dominates the headlines − good and bad − every day since.
And Barron Trump’s famous family, his mother Melania Trump, half-siblings Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump, sister-in-law Lara Trump, niece Kai Madison Trump, and former aunt-by-marriage Vanessa Trump, have each had parts of their private life made public in news stories this year.
Before Barron Trump turned 18 in March 2024, he was largely kept out of the spotlight because of Melania Trump’s protective nature. He has shown interest in his father’s politics, particularly during the 2024 presidential election, though he did not make many public appearances.
The question of where would he attend college after high school graduation became a media obsession. One that was officially revealed when he stepped on to the campus of NYU just after Labor Day 2024. May 6 marked the end of spring 2025 classes there.
In honor of the first son’s first year at NYU, we’ve put together a Barron Trump roundup of milestones, rites of passage and significant events that occurred when he was a freshman.
Who is Barron Trump, the only child of Donald and Melania Trump?
Barron Trump is the sole child of Donald and Melania Trump. He was born in New York on March 20, 2006. Ten years later, Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election.
During his first term as president, Donald and Melania Trump did not reside together at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C. — at least for the first few months of his presidency. In 2017, the third Mrs. Trump spent the first five months of his administration living apart from the president — she and Barron Trump remained behind in New York so he could finish school. At the time, Barron Trump was attending Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in Manhattan.
After that, Barron Trump then attended school closer to Washington, D.C., at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland, about 14 miles from the White House. He and Melania Trump officially moved in that summer when Barron Trump was 11 years old.
He really stands out: How tall is Barron Trump, only child of Donald and Melania Trump? Google used to say 6’9″
After his father lost the 2020 presidential election to President Joe Biden, Donald and Melania Trump went back to his private club, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida. Mar-a-Lago had earned the nickname the “Southern White House” and the “Winter White House” because of the amount of time Donald Trump spent there during his presidency.
When Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election against Democratic challenger, former Vice President Kamala Harris, the commander in chief publicly praised Barron Trump for helping secure votes from young voters.
Why do people want to know about Barron Trump?
It’s easy for Donald Trump to make headlines, and the president welcomes it. Many times in 2024, Barron and Melania Trump made headlines without even meaning to. “How tall is Barron Trump?” became a Google sensation when the search engine listed Trump’s youngest son as 6-foot-9 two months after news reports estimated he was 6-foot-7 (Google now lists Barron Trump as 6’7″).
Though his family is on social media and often makes public appearances alongside Donald Trump, Barron Trump’s foray into the spotlight is rare.
When did Barron Trump graduate high school? What college does Barron Trump attend?
May 17, 2024: Barron Trump graduated from Oxbridge Academy, a college-preparatory school in West Palm Beach, Florida, for grades 6-12, where annual tuition is a reported $41,500. Only three members of his famous family attended the ceremony: His parents, Donald and Melania Trump, and his grandfather, Viktor Knavs.
Barron Trump’s high school graduation was a hot topic for news for many reasons:
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Oxbridge’s Academy’s football stadium drew so much attention that the private prep school issued an alert reminding the media and the public the event was invitation-only. The school acknowledged “the heightened interest in this year’s event.”
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On May 17, 2024, Barron Trump was one of 116 seniors who received their diploma at Oxbridge. While a loudspeaker announced the names of the graduates, Barron Trump’s name was not announced, likely a decision to avoid any extra attention. His parents and grandfather were in the stadium’s aluminum-seated bleachers, in the front.
After graduation, the topic of where Barron Trump would attend college became a popular one online.
Donald Trump often dropped hints about his youngest son’s intent for higher education without actually name-dropping the university. The world was watching. And tweeting. And making TikToks about all of it.
Days after Labor Day 2024, Barron Trump was spotted at NYU’s campus in New York, flanked by Secret Service. His decision to choose a college in New York stood out from his family: His father graduated from business school at the University of Pennsylvania, and Barron Trump’s half-siblings — Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump — each have ties to the University of Pennsylvania or Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The youngest Trump is following much of the family in pursuing a business degree, but forging a new path in choosing the Stern School of Business, known as NYU Stern.
His parents never disclosed why he chose NYU over University of Penn or Georgetown, but the main campus is in Manhattan, where Barron Trump spent much of his childhood — and lived until his father was sworn in as the 45th president in early 2017.
Barron Trump voted on Election Day 2024. Melania Trump tweets photo of Barron voting in Florida during presidential election.
Nov. 5, 2024, Election Day: Add the title of “proud mom” for Melania Trump − Barron Trump, her only child with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, officially cast his first vote.
The former first lady tweeted a photo of her very tall 18-year-old son shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, aka Election Day 2024. The Palm Beach Daily News, a USA TODAY Network newspaper, reported earlier in the day that Donald and Melania Trump voted at the Mandel Recreation Center near Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. But it wasn’t known at the time whether Barron Trump cast a ballot.
Until Melania Trump’s tweet. Its message? “Voted for the first time – for his dad! #18yearsold #presidentialelection #proud”
The photo of Barron Trump does not show his face, but it is on the official X account (formerly known as Twitter) of Melania Trump.
Barron Trump appeared with Donald and Melania Trump, extended Trump family, at Election Night party in West Palm Beach, Florida
Nov. 6, 2024, Election Night: During the 2024 presidential election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, the Trump family attended a Republicans Election Night watch party on Nov. 5, 2024, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, over hosting at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. The entire Trump family was there with Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Barron Trump and Melania’s father, Viktor Knavs, on stage first.
Viktor Knavs, 2 years older than Donald Trump, is father of Melania, grandfather to Barron
Was Barron Trump at inauguration? Who was standing next to Barron Trump?
Jan. 20, 2025, Inauguration Day: Viktor Knavs was standing next to his grandson, Barron Trump, in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., before his son-in-law and daughter were formally announced as the president and first lady of the United States. Knavs, whose March 24th birthday is four days after his grandson’s, also sat next to Barron Trump during his son-in-law’s speech. Knavs is two years older than Donald Trump. (The extended Trump family, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump and their children and spouses, also attended Inauguration Day events.)
The last time Barron Trump attended his father’s inauguration, he was 10 years old.
On Jan. 20, 2017, the entire Trump family − from eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., to youngest son, Barron, to in-laws, nieces and nephews − gathered at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., to witness the swearing-in of Donald Trump as 45th president of the United States and Melania Trump as first lady. Even at 10, Barron Trump was noticeably tall for his age. Photo galleries above show pictures of the sole child of Donald and Melania Trump standing almost eye level to his mom at about age 11.
In 2017, Barron Trump was an elementary school student and the first boy to live at the White House since John F. Kennedy Jr. Donald, Melania and Barron Trump lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. from 2017 to 2021.
When was the last public appearance of the Trump family in 2025?
Since President Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, 2025, which also was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday, life for the commander-in-chief has been busy. From Jan. 20 to May 6, for example, Donald Trump has visited his home state of Florida 11 times and 10 to his private club and primary residence, Mar-a-Lago.
In addition to his presidential duties, traveling and legislation, Trump has made time for significant events in sports: Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, the NCAA wrestling championship finals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the 2025 LIV Golf Tournament in Florida and the UFC 314 fight in Miami, Florida. Members of the Trump family have attended both, but the entire Trump family clan has not been publicly seen together since the week of Inauguration Day festivities. That includes all five Trump children, Melania Trump and her father, Viktor Knavs.
Contributing: Antonio Fins and John Bisognano, Palm Beach Post
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Barron Trump and NYU: Details about Donald and Melania’s only child
