Mike Tyson Thinks One Thing About Barron Trump Is Even More Talk-Worthy Than His Height
Barron Trump's stunning growth spurt has renewed public interest in Donald Trump's fifth and youngest child. The 11-year-old boy who moved into the White House in 2017 is now an 18-year-old 6-foot-8 young man and no one can stop talking about it. But Mike Tyson believes the obsession with Barron's height is unfair. In the iconic boxer's eyes, there is a lot more to Barron than that. Tyson has opinions about Barron because he and Donald go way back.
The unlikely pair's friendship stems from the '80s when Donald arranged for the former heavyweight champion to fight at the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in a bid to promote his struggling business. The relationship flourished, with Tyson hiring Donald as his adviser in 1988 and Donald defending Tyson amid his rape conviction in 1992. By the time Barron came along in March 2006, Tyson had been a part of his father's circles for roughly two decades.
While they have had their issues over the years (Tyson reportedly confronted Donald about sleeping with his then-wife Robin Givens), Tyson remained close to Donald. Despite not voting, Tyson endorsed Donald in the 2016 election, defending Donald's business acumen. In April 2023, the two were seen hanging out at the UFC 287 in Miami, and just a few weeks later, Tyson was invited over for dinner with Donald and his family. It was here that Tyson got to see firsthand the side that the media-shunning Barron hides so well — his smarts.
Mike Tyson was impressed by Barron Trump's intelligence
When Mike Tyson joined Donald and Melania Trump at Mar-a-Lago for dinner, he was delighted to spend time with Barron Trump, who was then age 17. Tyson may be only 5-foot-10, but he isn't easily impressed by tall guys. Instead, he was more enthralled by Barron's mind. 'He's so smart," he said on the "PBD Podcast" in May 2023. When host Patrick Bet-David brought up Barron's height, Tyson quickly brought the conversation back to his brains. "But did you know he's very intelligent?" Tyson asked.
Tyson also dismissed rumors that Barron is autistic. "This guy is on top of his game, intellectually," he said. Speculation surfaced in 2016 when YouTuber James Hunter suggested Barron might be on the spectrum in a video that was then tweeted out by Rosie O'Donnell. "Barron Trump Autistic?" she wrote in the since-deleted tweet, CBS News reported. "If so — what an amazing opportunity to bring attention to the AUTISM epidemic." Melania Trump didn't stay quiet on this one, threatening to take Hunter to court if he failed to take down the video. O'Donnell later apologized to Melania for her tweet.
While Tyson might not be the best person to judge someone else's brain power, he's not the only one who has vouched for Barron's intelligence. "Just very, very kind and humble and empathetic and smart," former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham told the Daily Mail in March 2024.
Barron Trump is also reportedly good at sports
While Barron Trump's height would make him fit on a basketball court, he's more interested in soccer — much to Donald Trump's dismay. "I said, 'You're gonna be a basketball player.' He said, 'Well I like soccer dad, actually." I thought ... at you're height I like basketball better but you can't talk them into everything," Donald said at an Iowa rally in January 2024, the Daily Mail reported. Soccer might not be Donald's favorite sport, but it could have been worse.
In 2019, Donald addressed the safety concerns that have plagued football, adding he hoped Barron wouldn't show interest in the sport offscreen. "[Would I let him play] if he wanted to? Yes. Would I steer him that way? No, I wouldn't," he said on CBS' "Face the Nation." An Arsenal F.C. fan, Barron doesn't just enjoy watching it on TV. In 2017, he appeared on the roster for the D.C. United U-12 tream as a midfielder, the Bleacher Report noted.
In 2021, The U.S. Sun speculated that it was the soccer program that attracted Barron to the prestigious Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach. But whether he plans to pursue soccer professionally is unclear. While both Donald and Melania Trump have exalted their son's sports aptitude and interest, they've been vague about Barron's future plans. On "The Megyn Kelly Show," Donald said Barron considered following in his footsteps and attending the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. "We're thinking about that right now," he said in 2023.