Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

White House demands privacy for all of Donald Trump’s children after Barron is subjected to torrent of memes

'It is a longstanding tradition that the children of Presidents are afforded the opportunity to grow up outside of the political spotlight,' says official White House statement

Maya Oppenheim
Wednesday 25 January 2017 17:54 GMT
Comments
Monica Lewinsky, who had an affair with former President Bill Clinton when she was a White House intern, also defended the youngest Trump
Monica Lewinsky, who had an affair with former President Bill Clinton when she was a White House intern, also defended the youngest Trump (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The White House has made it clear they do not want Barron Trump preyed upon by the press.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the White House demanded privacy for all of Donald Trump’s children and asked for them to be shielded from the public eye.

“It is a longstanding tradition that the children of Presidents are afforded the opportunity to grow up outside of the political spotlight,” a statement from the Office of the Press Secretary said. “The White House fully expects this tradition to continue. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.”

While they did not mention Barron, who is just 10 years old, by name, it is likely he was at the forefront of their minds given the fact he has dominated headlines this week.

Barron, who is Donald and Melania Trump’s only child, was subject to a barrage of memes mocking his facial expressions and accusing him of being bored during inauguration day.

The furore saw Katie Rich, a writer for Saturday Night Live, suspended for saying Barron would become the nation’s “first homeschool shooter” in a since deleted tweet. Rich later issued an apology on Twitter, saying: “I sincerely apologise for the insensitive tweet. I deeply regret my actions & offensive words. It was inexcusable and I'm so sorry.”

Chelsea, the only child of Hillary and Bill Clinton, stood up for Barron against the mocking he received from people, saying: “Barron Trump deserves the chance every child does - to be a kid”.

But she also alluded to the fact some of Mr Trump’s policies might have a detrimental effect on children. “Standing up for every kid also means opposing @POTUS policies that hurt kids,” she said on Twitter.

Monica Lewinsky, who had an affair with former President Bill Clinton when she was a White House intern, also defended the youngest Trump.

“All children need to be protected from bullying + mockery. (incl Barron Trump). Let's be better than this,” Lewinsky, who is now an anti-bullying activist, said on Twitter.

But Lewinsky did not just defend Barron who is currently back in New York to complete school. She also came to Rich’s defence on Tuesday after the SNL writer also became the target of online harassment.

”Online mobs are not the answer either. @katiemaryrich has apologized. comedy is an imperfect science. (trust me!),“ Lewinsky wrote.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in