Trump's Petty Slip-Up Yapping About Barron's Height Fuels The Gossip Mill

Barron Trump's height transformation left us stunned. He seemingly woke up one day standing at a whopping 6 feet, 9 inches, and no one could talk about anything else. That includes President Donald Trump, who always finds a way to insert his youngest son's height into every conversation. Of course, his August 22 meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino was no exception. And all this yapping about Barron's stature only fueled further speculation that Donald's self-conscious about his own height.

This is far from the only time Donald has put his insecurity on blast by taking a dig at Barron's height. This may sound strange, given that Donald is 6 feet, 3 inches (if you trust his White House medical report) or 6 feet, 2 inches (if you trust his driver's license), which is pretty tall either way. But it matters to him because he reportedly sees height as an intimidation weapon. "He's jealous of everyone's height. He never lets himself be in a photograph with someone taller than he is," journalist Michael Wolff, author of "Siege: Trump Under Fire," said in a 2019 interview with MSNBC.

Donald has even used his insecurity to pit his children against one another. Ever since Barron became taller than Donald at age 13, the president has used this fact to tease his second-tallest son: Eric Trump, who is 6 feet, 5 inches. "My father calls me the short son now," he said on the "First Class Fatherhood" podcast in 2021. Perhaps Donald likes to bring up Barron's height because it means he has really tall genes. Who knows, but he insists on boasting. 

For someone who isn't a soccer fan, Donald Trump sure is enjoying mingling with the sport. With the U.S. set to co-host the 2026 World Cup, the world's most-watched sporting event, and having hosted the 2025 Club World Cup, soccer is having a moment in a country infamously uninterested in it. And Trump seemingly wants a piece of it. In his meeting with Gianni Infantino, Trump found a way to make it about himself. "I see the money that these soccer players are making. I may try and play," he said (via People).

The joke could have ended there, but he blabbered on, inserting Barron and his height into the conversation. "My son is a very good athlete," he said, adding that Barron is "a good soccer player," albeit "on the tall side for soccer." Trump left Infantino no choice but to go along, so he continued. "That's pretty tall," Trump reiterated. "He's on the tall side."

The president might be cozying up to FIFA now (Donald's behavior at the FIFA Club World Cup final had us all feeling second-hand embarrassment for sure), but he wasn't always a fan. He suggested as much when his son revealed his passion for the sport. "I said you're gonna be a basketball player. He said, 'Well, I like soccer, dad, actually. I thought, 'At your height, I like basketball better,' but you can't talk them into everything," he said during a 2024 Iowa rally (via the Daily Mail).