Trump Accidentally Confirms He Wants Barron To Be Just Like Don Jr. & Eric

It's always great to hear parents gushing about how proud they are of their children, but sometimes that pride isn't what it seems. In September 2024, Donald Trump sat down with the Daily Mail correspondent Rob Crilly to discuss, among other things, his family's role in his campaign. Unsurprisingly, college-bound Barron Trump was at the top of the list, and Donald accidentally confirmed that he wants Barron to be just like his older brothers, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.: useful and loyal at all costs. 

Naturally, Donald had a lot to say about Barron: "He's very much captivated the attention of the public, I've seen that." He went on to describe how Barron has helped him connect with Gen Z voters: "He knows so much about it. Adin Ross, you know ... some people that I wasn't so familiar with, different generation. He knows every one of them. And we've had tremendous success." While these statements may seem like a warm show of parental pride, nearly all of Donald's praise was directed toward Barron's support for his political aspirations instead of focused on what makes the teen unique. 

Donald Trump may want Barron Trump to follow in his older brothers' extremely helpful footsteps, but he also clearly favors his youngest over his other two sons. All three have contributed enormously to Donald's 2024 campaign, but Donald's past treatment of Eric and Don Jr. suggests that he appreciates Barron's help the most. Barron may only get generic praise, but his brothers often get no praise at all. 

While Barron Trump is the apple of his dad's eye, Eric Trump rarely gets the same level of recognition. For example, in a video shared by Forbes Breaking News, Donald gave Eric incredibly shallow kudos for speaking on his behalf at the RNC: "And Eric, what was that all about? Boy that was good." Even worse, the Independent reported that Donald painfully snubbed Eric during a 2022 rally. Eric called his father while on stage to tell him: "I speak on behalf of every single person here: They love you, I love you, we're proud of you." Donald's response? "Well thank you very much, and everybody enjoy yourselves and have a good weekend." 

Barron and Eric have been very helpful, but Donald Trump Jr. has arguably done more than any of his siblings to help Donald Sr. go the distance. As Shane Goldmacher of The New York Times explains, "[T]he younger Mr. Trump has firmly established himself as the most political of the Trump children," and was a key factor in getting JD Vance to accept his VP nominee spot. Don Jr. often comes to his father's defense and consistently bolsters Donald's signature ego. Yet despite all this support, we rarely hear Donald Sr. show his appreciation for his oldest son, either. We're curious to see if Barron will continue to enjoy his time as Donald Sr.'s favorite son if he doesn't turn out exactly like his brothers.