Barron's No-Show At Military Parade Exposes The Trumps' Dying Family Dynamic

President Donald Trump's military parade, put together in celebration of the U.S. military's 250th anniversary, has exposed the Trump family's dying family dynamic — well, further exposed, as there were already red flags connected to the Trump family dynamic. 

The latest red flag, however, is connected to the fact that Donald's youngest son, Barron Trump, couldn't be bothered to show up in person to support the parade, which also took place on Donald's 79th birthday. Although it doesn't appear as if any of Donald's five children bothered to show up to the parade, Barron's absence probably stings a little more given his proximity to the nest. While Barron doesn't live in the White House as he enjoys his freshman year at New York University, it wasn't that long ago that he probably would've been seen attending an event as high-profile (and controversial) as Trump's parade.

Barron's absence suggests that the president and first lady may not have the control they once yielded over their son as he embarks on the early stages of adulthood. After all, it's officially summer in New York City, so it's unlikely that classes or exams kept the first son from attending the parade, which means he may not have wanted to come. This is especially concerning given that the last time that Barron appeared in public with his mother and father was at Donald's inauguration in January (though we imagine that would've been a much harder event on which to skip out). Speaking of the inauguration, Barron received a large round of applause after being introduced to the crowd by his father. "My very tall son named Barron, has anyone ever heard of him?" asked the president (via ABC 7 Chicago). 

The Trump White House family never mirrored first families from previous years during Donald Trump's first term, but they at least made an effort to appear as a real, cohesive unit for the public. While Melania Trump and Barron Trump, who was still in middle school at the time, took months to move into the White House during Donald's first term as president, they were pretty much fixtures there until the end of his first term. Melania even managed to express enthusiasm about the move on X, formerly known as Twitter, at the time. "Looking forward to the memories we'll make in our new home. #moving day," she tweeted (via BBC). However, Donald's second term has been much less family-oriented.

In addition to Barron being off at college and living his own life, Melania has also decided that her time was better spent basically anywhere other than the White House. According to the New York Times, Melania hasn't even cracked two full weeks in the White House since Donald was inaugurated in January. For context, Donald has been the president for roughly five months or around 150 days as of this writing. Then again, it's not like she didn't warn him (and the public) about her plans this go around. "I will be in the White House," she claimed during an interview with Fox News (via People). "And when I need to be in New York, I will be in New York. When I need to be in Palm Beach, I will be in Palm Beach." She continued, "My first priority is to be a mom, to be a first lady, to be a wife." 

Given that Barron is living the college life, it's unclear just how much daily mothering she has to do — but it's enough to keep her out of the White House on most days.