Melania Trump's Birthday Message For Barron Has Everyone Talking
Melania Trump has kept a pretty low profile since she and Donald Trump vacated the White House in January 2021. After leaving Washington, many predicted the former first lady might "convince her husband to return to New York as their official residence" (per USA Today). However, it seems like they'll be staying in Florida for now, where Donald plans to return to social media in a "two or three" months with his own platform, according to Fox News.
People reported the Trumps and their teenage son Barron have been living at their Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla. The couple reportedly "expanded and spruced up" the former president's 2,000-square-foot apartment at the club, which he purchased in the '80s, "to make it larger, more modern and comfortable for his use." At the time, sources also said Melania was looking for "good schools" in the area for Barron — and based on comments made by insiders, it seems like being a mother is her priority and her "most important role," as they previously told People that "Barron is the most important thing in Melania's life."
On Barron's 15th birthday, the proud mother even took to Twitter to give her son a shout-out. Keep scrolling to find out her message has people talking.
People are calling Melania Trump's birthday tribute to Barron 'morbid'
Barron Trump rang in his first post-White House birthday since his dad Donald Trump won the election in 2016. To celebrate, Melania Trump shared a tribute on social media on March 20, 2021, which has raised a few eyebrows as many are calling it "very strange."
In her post, the former first lady wrote, "Happy birthday BWT" (the teenager's initials) with three red hearts. Alongside the message, Melania also shared a heavily filtered photo image of two black balloons that made a 15 for Barron's age. It didn't take long for the internet to question why she would use such a "morbid" photo to celebrate such a cheerful moment in Barron's life. "How festive!" one person responded, "Nothing quite says Happy Birthday to a 15 year old quite like a black balloon that appears to be dripping blood." Another added, "Did you give him a dead bat for his birthday?"
Others also tweeted how sorry they feel for Barron, with one person writing, "After viewing her HB tweet to him, I doubt any day in that household is wonderful. Bless his heart. It must be the most stressful household in the country. Poor thing." Meanwhile, another Twitter user pointed out we shouldn't be surprised as this is just Melania's aesthetic. Her 2017 and 2018 White House Christmas decorations are proof of that.
Pro-Trump supporters came to Melania Trump's defense
Melania Trump's birthday post to her son Barron Trump has definitely received a lot of mixed reactions. While many have mocked her tribute, others are saying that people shouldn't be criticizing a mom who's simply celebrating her child big day. Many applauded Melania for being such a good mother, while others condemned Trump haters.
"Can the Trump haters give their hate a break?" one person wrote while another pointed out that perhaps the teenager likes the color black. "Anyone think that perhaps Barron likes those colours? Maybe Melania is respecting his choice," they wrote, leading a Twitter user to reply, "My daughter just turned 16 and her cake had black writing and black designs with lime green flowers. Her Favorite colors. People are so hateful."
Another went on to say that the dark balloons remind them of chocolate, writing, "Personally like melted dark chocolate...or hot fudge like on a ice cream sundae. The 15 dripping with chocolate makes me want to go out and get a hot fudge sundae!"
Melania Trump's personal birthday tribute is rare
After leaving the White House, Melania Trump has not been very active on social media so her birthday tribute for Barron Trump came as a surprise. In fact, she has tweeted only 10 times and posted to Instagram only five times in her post-FLOTUS days — and they've all been PR posts for her new Twitter account "Office of Melania Trump," as well as posts her team likely shared on her behalf for International Women's Day and Valentine's Day.
It's unclear if the former first lady plans to share more tweets about her private life with her son, however, it seems unlikely given the fact that the Trumps kept their son away from the spotlight during Donald Trump's presidency. In an October 2016 interview with ABC News, Melania made it clear that this is the life she wanted for Barron. "I teach him, I explain to him so he knows what's going on. He's taking very well. I keep him balanced and — just have him a childhood as normal as possible. And he's enjoying his school and his sports. He's a great athlete. And I just want to have him — out of the spotlight for now."