Why Barron is 'little Melania': How protective first lady is keeping her son, 18, in a Mar-a-Lago 'bubble' before he goes to college and while his father sits in court

As Donald Trump sits in a Manhattan courtroom, Melania Trump has locked herself in a 'tight bubble' behind the ornate gates of Mar-a-Lago, according to those close to the couple.

Her top priority is her 18-year-old son Barron, who graduates from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach on Friday. And even though the 6ft7in teenager physically favors his father, inside he is his mother's child.

'He's so regal. He's a little Melania,' a source close to the couple told DailyMail.com of Trump's youngest son.

At the Trumps' private club, which is Melania's refuge, she can enjoy long walks on the beach and time in the luxurious spa getting her favorite treatments.

It's a world away from the New York courtroom where Donald Trump must keep on his poker face as he listens to witnesses like Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen discuss a $130,000 hush payment to the porn star to keep her quiet about an alleged affair with the former president.

But Melania's bubble is starting to burst as she fights to keep Donald Trump's alleged personal indiscretions from spilling over into their private family life.  

Melania Trump has always been protective of Barron - the mother and son are seen above in August 2020 at the White House

Melania has always been protective of Barron and has always advocated for him. When she renegotiated her prenup shortly after the 2016 election, she made sure Barron would get the same treatment as Trump's children from his first marriages.

But one area she kept Barron separate – in stark contrast to what his half-siblings were doing - is politics.

And that is a stance that continues.

After the Florida Republican party announced Barron was one of the at-large delegates to the Republican National Convention, along with most of the other Trump children, Melania put her foot down.

'While Barron is honored to have been chosen as a delegate by the Florida Republican Party, he regretfully declines to participate due to prior commitments,' her office said on Friday.

No other details were given.

The move shows not only the influence she wields over her adult son but also on her husband, who often calls Melania 'my bride,' a former Trump staffer told DailyMail.com.

Melania has always fiercely guarded her privacy. She has kept the family's quarters at Mar-a-Lago reserved for just her, her husband and their son.

She has done few public events since she left the White House and relishes being invisible.

But Donald Trump's trial in New York has thrust her back into the spotlight.

In the four weeks it has been taking place multiple witnesses have discussed Donald and Melania's relationship, some describing an affection couple who chat many times a day and others talking about a husband dismissive of his wife, claiming he could quickly replace her.

The revelations about the Trump marriage – like most things with the Trumps – brought more questions than answers, showing a contradiction between what is seen in public and what happens behind closed doors.

What is the truth? Is Melania really the power behind the throne, knowing her husband needs her more than she needs him, particularly if he wants another term in the White House? How much did she know? And how much will she tolerate?

By steeling herself in silence and an air of mystery, Melania has allowed the public to see her as they wish: either a beautiful woman trapped in a lonely marriage or a savvy operator who married for money and security.

Both points of view were presented in the New York courtroom.

Melania Trump at her last public appearance with Donald Trump on April 6th

Donald Trump (seen above in court) and Melania's relationship has been discussed by multiple witnesses in the hush-money trial

Melania Trump, with husband Donald, at Mar-a-Lago, her refuge, in November

Many of the witnesses described an affectionate relationship between the couple in private, something that did not appear often in public.

'If he was in the Oval Office I'd look in and there were times I could figure out he was on the phone with Mrs. Trump. He would say honey come over to the window [in the residence] and you could see into the Oval Office. He would say come to the window and (they would) wave to each other,' Trump's former assistant Madeleine Westerhout said in her testimony.

'I believe they have a relationship of mutual respect. I just found their relationship really special. He cares a lot about her opinion,' she added. 'There was no one else who could put him in his place.'

'He was my boss but she was definitely the one in charge.'

Donald Trump, some of the witnesses said, cared deeply about his wife's opinion of him.

'President Trump really values Mrs. Trump's opinion and she doesn't weigh in all the time, but when she does, it's really meaningful to him,' Hope Hicks, Trump's former communications chief, said during cross-examination. 'He really respects what she has to say.'

And, they say, Melania was more involved in strategy that she let on.

Michael Cohen, in his bombshell testimony, revealed it was Melania Trump who came up with the spin after the infamous Access Hollywood tape became public.

'He wanted me to reach out to all my contacts in the media. We needed to put a spin on this,' Cohen said of his conversation with Donald Trump.

'The spin he wanted put on it was that this is locker room talk, something that Melania had recommended - or at least he told me that's what Melania had thought it was - and use that in order to get control over the story and to minimize its impact on him and his campaign,' Cohen testified.

He also said he was worried about how the Trumps' marriage would survive the revelation of Stormy Daniels.

'I said to him, how's things going to go upstairs,' Cohen said, looking upward while describing a conversation he said happened inside Trump Tower, where Trump has a penthouse apartment.

'"Don't worry," he goes..."how long do you think I'll be on the market for? Not long". He wasn't thinking about Melania. This was all about the campaign,' Cohen said.

Melania Trump with Barron Trump at Mar-a-Lago a few months ago

Barron Trump has always been Melania's priority - the mother and son in January 2007

Donald Trump and son Barron in January 

Donald Trump embraces Barron, with Melania by his side, when he became the Republican presidential nominee in July 2016

Melania was reported to be blindsided by the Stormy Daniels affair allegations.

When they first appeared in 2017, she decamped from the comfort of the White House to her bubble at Mar-a-Lago, dropping out of a trip to Davos, Switzerland with her husband to attend the World Economic Forum.

Donald Trump has denied an affair. But he faces 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in order to hide a payoff to Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Those close to her say Melania considers the trial Donald's problem and that he needs to deal with it.

But she is carefully reading the press coverage of it.

And one story that would have irked her was having her son wielded as a political weapon.

Donald Trump, in one of his many rants about the judge's requirement that he be in the courtroom during the trial, complained he would miss his son's graduation from high school. The judge ultimately agreed to halt testimony so the former president could attend.

But Stephanie Grisham, a former top aide to Melania who spent four years with a front row seat of the couple's interactions, told DailyMail.com last month that the former first lady 'wasn't happy' that Donald Trump talked about Barron in the context of the case.

'He talked about missing Barron's graduation to the cameras and then again on Truth Social because it caused a lot of coverage about that and it's just not something she would have liked,' Grisham said.

Melania has signaled her feelings on the matter by using the same tactic with her son that she uses herself: withholding her presence.

She has rarely appeared with her husband since he announced he was making another presidential bid. 

She was there that day in November 2022 at Mar-a-Lago when he announced his re-election campaign but she was notably absent on the night of Super Tuesday, when Trump effectively locked up the Republican presidential nomination.

Barron wasn't present at either of those political events.

She hasn't attended any of Trump's events tied to his multiple legal issues. Neither has Barron.

Barron Trump at a rare appearance at the White House during the first year of Donald Trump's presidency; Melania didn't let him attend many events

Melania, in a rare public appearance, when Donald Trump announced his re-election bid

Melania at the White House with Barron, her hand on his back

Barron Trump, Donald Trump and Melania Trump at the White House in August 2020

Even as first lady, she rarely let Barron attend official White House events. He was only 10 when his father became president

Additionally, she would have Barron travel in a separate car - instead of the Beast - when he rode in the presidential motorcade. The dedicated mom made sure he was buckled up in his SUV.

She also had Barron board Air Force One on the back stairs of the plane so there would not be photographs of him climbing the front stairs with his parents.

'Not showing up in court with her husband and putting her foot down about Barron Trump being a delegate to the Republican convention indicate that she is drawing some clear public boundaries between her husband's political career and her personal family life,' said Katherine Jellison, a historian at Ohio State who studies first ladies.

There have been more absences.

On Mother's Day, Donald Trump had brunch at Mar-a-Lago where he was surrounded by supporters.

But there was no sign of Melania nor Barron in the many videos and photos posted to social media on that day from the private club in Palm Beach.

Melania issued a cryptic message to mark the holiday, stressing the importance of taking care of oneself.

'As mothers, we are inclined to honor our mothers and mother figures on Mother's Day, but we must also be mindful of ourselves. It may be difficult to imagine but when moms prioritize self-care, our families and children enjoy greater stability,' she wrote.

It was the former first lady's first Mother's Day without her own mother Amalija Knavs, who died in January.

She is still in mourning.

Donald Trump stands with Melania Trump, their son Barron Trump and father-in-law Viktor Knavs, at the start of a funeral for Amalija Knavs, Melania's mother

Donald, Melania, and Barron (center) with other members of the Trump family when Donald announced in June 2015 that he is running for president

'Stay tuned,' Melania Trump saidn in March when asked about her future

Additionally, Melania has chosen her appearances carefully since the trial began on April 22.

She was last seen when she hosted a fundraiser for Log Cabin Republicans, an LGBT conservative group, at Mar-a-Lago on April 20th.

The event was closed to press coverage but former Trump administration official Richard Grenell, who is openly gay, posted photos on social media of him and the former first lady hosting the gathering.

Her last public appearance with Trump was at a fundraiser for his presidential campaign on April 6th.

It's unclear when they will appear in public again.

Melania herself is keeping that a mystery. Last month, when she joined Donald Trump to vote in Florida's primary, reporters asked about her future plans.

Her reply: 'Stay tuned.'