The Reasons Barron Trump's School Experience Is So Unordinary
Barron Trump's life changed irrevocably when Donald Trump became president. Nothing will ever be the same again, including everyday activities such as hanging out with friends and attending school. In fairness, given his dad's reality TV career and larger-than-life personality, Barron's life would never be ordinary, Executive Mansion or not. But things ramped up a notch the moment Donald swore to "Preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Melania Trump has strived to keep Barron out of the spotlight, and she does an excellent job of it, as Barron remains an enigma, only cropping up in occasional photos. To ensure their lives remained as normal as possible, Melania and Barron didn't move into the White House immediately. Instead, they stayed in New York so Barron could finish his school year. Still, his life is far from average.
Most teens are embarrassed to be seen with their parents, so you can imagine Barron's discomfort at being escorted back and forth to school by his mom and bodyguards. However, having a security detail shadowing you is only part of the reason that the First Son's educational experience is so unusual. Just getting to the building is a significant production. TMZ reported that the Secret Service attempted to cause minimum disruption while facilitating Barron's school runs in Manhattan, but it still required that streets be blocked off in a "rolling pattern for just a few minutes to allow the First Lady's convoy to move quickly" from midtown to the Upper West Side.
Barron will never be a regular student
Melania Trump is determined for Barron Trump to live as ordinary a life as possible while he's at school. Still, that's easier said than done. Given that he's Donald Trump's son, Barron will never be just a regular student. When it was announced that he would remain enrolled at Manhattan's Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School for six months after his father took office in January 2017, the pupils' parents were less than happy. One told Vanity Fair that they were worried about the disruption that would be caused and the security risk to other kids, while another said they were anxious that "some type of Mexican multicar street abduction" would occur.
Barron left Columbia Grammar in the fall and transferred to the elite St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Montgomery County, Maryland. His school experience remained bizarre, though. According to WTOP News, D.C.'s Sidwell Friends has been the school of choice for presidential children in recent years — Malia and Sasha Obama as well as Chelsea Clinton are among the alums.
Meanwhile, Barron's schooling continued to disrupt others as a motorcade escorted him the 20 miles from the White House to St. Andrew's, and bodyguards remained in place. But at least it saved taxpayers money. New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill told Reuters it cost an estimated $127,000 to $145,000 per day to provide additional security for Barron while he was in Manhattan.
Barron's always accompanied by the Secret Service
Barron Trump has a super close relationship with his mom, Melania Trump. She had sage advice for her son after Donald Trump became president. "I tell him: Take it day by day, enjoy your life, live your meaningful life as I like to do," Melania told Us Weekly in January 2017. "Everything is a new opportunity, and it brings new friends and a new school. You never know what happens. Enjoy it day by day, live your life, and don't stress yourself."
Given Barron's parentage, that's easier said than done. Wherever he attends school, it will always cause disruption — through no fault of his own. After graduating from St. Andrew's in 2021, Barron enrolled at Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Florida. According to its website, tuition costs $34,800 a year. Director of Advancement Scott Siegfried said it was the school's first experience with the Secret Service. Still, he was confident they would cause a minimum upset. "They want to have little impact on our day-to-day operations. They've done this for other former presidents' kids. They're fantastic," he told The Palm Beach Post in August 2021.
For the most part, Barron's fellow students keep quiet about him. However, a female classmate offered insight on TikTok in 2020 (via The Mirror). "I went to school with Barron Trump, and he was my first 'bf,'" she said in a video. A commenter asked if he was a nice person. "The best," she insisted.