How A Book Series Ignited Bizarre Theories About Barron Trump
Everything we know about Barron Trump is courtesy of what leaks from his inner circle. Despite having a general sense of what the youngest Trump's life has been like growing up with famous parents (and famous siblings, obviously), the public hasn't had the chance to get to know him up close and personal. Naturally, the lack of information about him led to a slew of conspiracy theories — one of which is hilariously linked to a book from the 1800s.
But it's not like Barron is a stranger to outlandish theories. In fact, he has been at the center of wild speculation over the years. Some of the biggest theories about him include maintaining a secret Roblox account, that his dad, Donald Trump, has a secret vendetta against him because of his staggering height, and that his choice of college hinges entirely on the school's sports team. Oh, and let's not forget the once-rampant rumor that Donald isn't even his real father.
But let's be honest, nothing tops the theory that Barron is a time traveler. Yup, you read that right. This outrageous idea comes from a 19th-century novel about a boy named Baron Trump (yes, with just one R). And to give the conspiracy theorists some credit, the coincidences in the book are so uncanny they're understandably hard to ignore.
There are too many coincidences between Barron and his supposed fictional counterpart
The conspiracy theory that Barron Trump is a time traveler is all thanks to a series of books by Ingersoll Lockwood from the 1890s. These children's novels, including "The Travels and Adventures of Little Baron Trump and His Wonderful Dog Bulgar" and "Baron Trump's Marvelous Underground Journey," were relatively unknown until conspiracy theorists dug them up in the Trump era, largely because of the characters' eerie similarities to Barron and his dad.
In these stories, the protagonist, Wilhelm Heinrich Sebastian Von Troomp — who goes by Baron Trump — has a mentor named Don Constantino Bartolomeo Strepholofidgeguaneriusfum, conveniently nicknamed "Don." This "Master of all Masters" sends little Baron to Russia in search of a time travel portal. Things get even juicier with Lockwood's other book "The Last President," about a man living on Fifth Avenue (Trump Tower, anyone?) who unexpectedly becomes president, causing nationwide riots (sound familiar?). Conspiracy theorists didn't stop there — they linked this to another theory that Trump inherited Nikola Tesla's secret time travel research. Supposedly, after Tesla's death, Donald's uncle, physicist John G. Trump, was tasked with inspecting his work and secretly acquired his time travel research, allowing the Trump family to hop through time.
These theories are as wild as they come, and they're obviously the work of people who have too much time on their hands. If Barron and the rest of the Trumps were truly capable of time travel, you'd think they would have dodged all their controversies by now. But maybe they've done it in another timeline or universe? Who knows!
Was Barron named after his character in the book?
If Barron Trump isn't the time-traveling adventurer conspiracy theorists claim him to be, is he at least named after the character in the series? Well, not quite. Donald Trump proudly takes full credit for the name he chose for his youngest son, sharing in an "Oprah Winfrey Show" appearance that he liked the name Barron for ages but never had the opportunity to use it on any of his kids — until Barron came along.
"It's a name I've always loved but I never had the courage to use. I gave the idea to Melania and then I was going to take it away at the very end and she said, 'You can't take it away! I've been calling him Barron while he's been in my stomach and you just can't take it away!'" he said.
And sure, Barron might not have the power to bend time and space, but he's got plenty of talents in the here and now. He excels in sports and academics, much to his dad's delight. "Barron is a very good athlete," Donald shared in an interview with Megyn Kelly. "He's a good kid. He's a good-looking kid. He's a great student." Now, if only we had a time machine to see if Barron ends up with a political career down the line...