Melania Trump Slammed for 'Bizarre' Comments About Barron, 19, 'Needing Nonstop' Supervision — 'Marine One Level Helicopter Parenting'
Melania Trump claimed she's always needed by Barron.
Feb. 4 2026, Published 3:00 p.m. ET
Melania Trump is under fire after making some eyebrow-raising comments about her 19-year-old son, Barron, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The First Lady told Fox News she has to be there for him "nonstop," even though he's a college student at NYU.
'You Need to Be There for A Child Nonstop'
Melania Trump sparked backlash after saying she had to be with Barron 'nonstop.'
On the Mornings with Maria segment on January 29, host Maria Bartiromo praised Melania for balancing her duties as First Lady with motherhood.
"Tell us about that," Maria asked, "the challenge of being the First Lady of the greatest country in the world, everyone's pulling at you, but you also have your priority of your family."
Melania responded, "It's very important. You need to be there for a child nonstop, especially when they need you, especially at that age that Barron is. He's an incredible young man; we are very proud of him. Second year in Stern School of Business, and he loves it."
She added: "And this time it's very different, because he's 19 years old and the first time he was 10 years old. He understands politics, he gives advice to his father, we talk about it, so, very different."
Fans called her comments about 19-year-old Barron 'bizarre.'
'Absolutely Bizarre'
Social media mocked Melania Trump's 'Marine One-level helicopter parenting.'
Her comments quickly went viral. Social media users questioned why she thinks 19 is an age where a child needs a parent "nonstop."
"Marine One level helicopter parenting..." a comment read.
"My 19-year-old son was away at college, living in a house, and I spoke to him maybe twice a week. He was thriving and didn't need his mommy 'nonstop," a user shared.
"Has there ever been a more infantilized family than the Trumps? Absolutely bizarre," someone wrote.
Another said, "She's talking about him like he's 5. Is he that helpless that he needs constant supervision at 19?"
"The last thing most 19-year-olds want is their mother tied to their hip," a person declared.
"The 19-year-old child can drive, vote, join the military, live on his own in college or abroad, no longer needs mommy's support when getting a health checkup, some his age are sexually active, work a full-time job—but in their entitlement world, Barron's a child who needs his mommy," another wrote.
Mother Melania Shuts Down Barron
Barron Trump is a sophomore at NYU.
In another protective move, insiders say the First Lady recently took an even more drastic step, shutting down Barron's entire online life.
According to sources, Melania stepped in after Barron became entangled in a tense situation with a woman he met online, and allegedly witnessed what he believed was her being assaulted during a FaceTime call, prompting him to contact British authorities.
"This scared everyone," an insider shared with Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who writes on Substack. "It stopped being theoretical and became terrifyingly real."
"That phone call changed the entire tone," a source said. "Once emergency services were involved, nobody could pretend this was harmless teenage flirting anymore."
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Melania Trump also stepped in after Barron witnessed an alleged assault of a woman he was speaking to online.
After the incident, Melania put her foot down.
"Melania shut it down completely," one insider claimed. "No debate. No negotiations. The answer was simply: this stops now."
"No exceptions. No loopholes," another insider shared. "Melania was crystal clear."
