Barron Trump makes 'unusual' gesture for glum dad at Melania's mum's funeral

18 January 2024 , 18:12

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Barron stands with his family at his grandmother's funeral (Image: AP)

In an unusual display of emotion for the Trump family, 17-year-old son Barron Trump was seen extending a hand of comfort to his dad Donald at the funeral of Melania's mother in Florida.

A photo caught the moment 17 year old Barron, who is much taller than his dad, reach out to touch his father, who looked sad at the sombre occasion. Donald had said he felt 'very sad' about losing his mother-in-law, Amalija Knavs.

Body language expert Judi James noticed the Trumps acting differently at the funeral. "It elicits an unusual response from their son Barron, too. Clearly tuned into his father's mood, he extends a hand in what looks like a mimed or truncated embrace that could suggest a desire to show comfort and/or support," she explained.

The funeral was a tough time for them all. "This is an unusual display of emotion from Trump, who appears to be mourning Melania's mother as a personal loss," Judi James said, talking about how Trump acted at the funeral. In other pictures "Trump seems to have adopted a pose similar to his wife Melania here, looking much more vulnerable than usual, with his arms falling to the front of his torso and a reflective-looking frown on his face."

Barron also towers over his 6'3 father, standing tall at 6'7 (AFP via Getty Images)

Trump gave a shout-out to Amalijia Knavs during his Iowa caucus victory speech, saying, "Great people, great parents to all of us, really. Great parents, but also to Barron. Boy, did she take care of Barron." Barron is close to his grandparents and loves his grandma's Eastern European cooking.

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At a recent campaign rally, Trump joked, "That's how he got so tall, he only ate her food," which made everyone laugh. He also shared that even though Barron is tall, he prefers soccer over basketball. Trump went on to say: "I said you're gonna be a basketball player. He said, 'well, I like soccer dad, actually.' But you can't talk them into everything!" Trump laughed, then added, "Barron was a special boy."

Barron keeps out of the limelight, even though he grew up in the White House. He's always had a unique bond with his grandmother. Barron learned Slovenian from his grandparents, who were keen on teaching him when he was little.

Barron Trump seen comforting his father before the funeral (AFP via Getty Images)

Bojan Pozar, who wrote " Melania Trump - The Inside Story: The Potential First Lady," mentioned, "Barron almost certainly speaks Slovenian with... Ines, his aunt, who also lives in New York." He wrote: "Ines Knavs was the one who took care of all the paperwork at the Slovenia consulate in New York so that Barron could formally acquire Slovenian citizenship."

Barron, the tall former first child of a president, was the first to have dual citizenship while living in the White House. Unlike his siblings, who were often in the spotlight, Barron had a different upbringing, with Melania being very protective over her only son.

"As a mother ... I know what goes into raising a child. It takes an incredible amount of strength, a lot of time, a generous amount of patience, and all of our love," Melania shared during a Mother's Day event in 2018.

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Yelena Mandenberg