Barron Trump’s critical feedback to dad Donald before June debate helped in his WH return, reveals book

Barron Trump’s critical feedback to dad Donald before June debate helped in his WH return, reveals book
Barron Trump made a significant remark to Donald Trump that helped improve his performance in the June 2024 presidential debate (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: It is no longer a secret that Barron Trump’s influence on his father Donald Trump had a significant effect on the president’s return to the White House after a hiatus of four years. However, the NYU major’s role in his father’s political comeback might be more than what was initially thought. 

As reported by Daily Mail, the presidential debate in Atlanta in June 2024 was a defining moment in the run-up to the 2024 general election that subsequently reinstated Trump as the 47th President of the United States. 


WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: Barron Trump arrives to the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Barron Trump arrives to the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in the Rotunda of the US Capitol on January 20, 2025, in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

While the debate set the stepping stone for the 78-year-old commander-in-chief’s comeback, it also cemented Barron’s role as an election adviser to his father, as revealed by Axios journalist Alex Isenstadt in his upcoming book ‘Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump's Return to Power'.

Barron Trump’s criticism helped Donald Trump perform better in presidential debate

As the June 2024 debate played out, viewers noticed the remarkable difference in Donald Trump’s elocution from what he had shown in the September 2020 face-off between him and Joe Biden in Cleveland. 

While the 2020 discourse provided the perfect backdrop for Biden’s rise and Trump’s fall, the 2024 debate between the same two politicians gave a polar opposite result. According to Isenstadt, however, the visible change in just four years happened largely because of a significant yet unflattering observation made by the president’s youngest son

Donald Trump is sworn in as president by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on a Bible held by Melania Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Saul Loeb - Pool/Getty Images)
Donald Trump is sworn in as president by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on a Bible held by Melania Trump in the US Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC (Saul Loeb - Pool/Getty Images)

When the now-president appeared in public last year during the debate, several viewers were left stunned by his restrained demeanor, which was a stark contrast to his more exuberant self in the 2020 version. 

As Isenstadt wrote, Trump’s team, including his co-campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, took significant steps to ensure his successful debate. 



 

The reporter-turned-author wrote, “The debate was a few hours away, and the aides knew that even if they felt they had everything locked up, that meant there was, as always, still plenty of time for someone to feed him bad advice.”

He further revealed that Trump - desirous to improve upon his Cleveland performance - started preparing for weeks before the June 27 debate. That was when Barron advised him to anticipate what his opponent was saying before speaking. 

Barron, now a teenager, told him he flapped his gums too much last time and needed to let Biden do more of the talking,” revealed Isenstadt in his forthcoming book. 

While “flapping your gums” colloquially means to chatter without much substance, the author noted that Barron’s admonishment worked magic as the then Republican candidate implemented it in his performance. 

Isenstadt wrote, “Trump listened to his son, who was expressing some interest in politics and a willingness to be more public after being shielded from the cameras during the White House years.”

The author further noted that while Trump’s preparation for the 2020 cycle was more of a “slapdash” nature with a handful of preparatory sessions with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former New Jersey Gov Chris Christie, for the 2024 cycle he worked harder. 


WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: Barron Trump attends inauguration ceremonies in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Kevin Lamarque - Pool/Getty Images)
Barron Trump attends inauguration ceremonies in the US Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025, in Washington, DC (Kevin Lamarque - Pool/Getty Images)

The Axios reporter wrote, “Jason Miller and Stephen Miller (not related) led up the effort, which started in earnest in early June,” before adding, “The Millers set up practice meetings, which Wiles dubbed 'policy time', centered on subjects like immigration, the economy and abortion.”

He continued, “Trump, who put his phone away and refused to take breaks, drilled the practice questions over and over."

“While the Giuliani and Christie sessions were filled with bickering and squawking, these were focused," he added.

U.S. President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 3, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump announced that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, one of the largest manufacturers of semiconductor chips, plans to invest $100 billion in new manufacturing facilities in the United States. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 3, 2025, in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Apart from the Millers, Trump also sought the help of several subject matter experts like Kevin Hassett on the economy, ‘border czar’ Tom Homan on immigration, Robert Lighthizer on trade, Tennessee Sen Bill Hagerty on foreign affairs, and former state attorney general and Missouri senator, Eric Schmitt. 

Donald Trump praises Barron Trump for his political contribution during Inauguration Day speech

While Barron Trump worked as a silent, yet vigilant, warrior by his father's side, Donald Trump has seldom shied away from praising his son.

Addressing the 40,000-odd crowd at the Capital One Arena on January 20, the president noted his son's contribution in persuading him to go to podcasts like 'The Joe Rogan Experience' and 'This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von' - that eventually helped him in connecting with the younger voters - as reported by The Gateway Pundit.



 

Giving a shout-out to his son, Barron, he said, "Then I have a very tall son named Barron. Has anyone ever heard of him?"

Amid loud cheers, Trump continued, "He knew the youth vote… And he was saying, 'Dad, you got to go out and do this [podcast] or that one.'"

"He understood the market," explained Trump, as the crowd continued to cheer for the teenager.

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