Melania Trump's ex-aide reveals her real side with son Barron, tosses out the overprotective mother image
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: Melania Trump's former aide threw light on what kind of a mother the former first lady is with son Barron Trump, dismissing her protective mother image.
Stephanie Grisham revealed that Melania is not the ultimate mama bear kind of parent to her 18-year-old son.
Speaking to Nicki Swift about Barron's involvement in his father Donald Trump's political campaign, the former aide claimed Melania was more lenient to Barron than anyone could assume.
"She always felt it was important to let [Barron] make his own choices, so I doubt this is any different," Grisham said.
Melania Trump 'respects' Barron Trump's decision
Days before graduating high school from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach in May, Barron Trump made headlines for declining to be a delegate from Florida at the Republican National Convention (RNC).
On behalf of her son, Melania announced the decision through a public statement, which sparked speculations that she may have encouraged him not to attend the event.
"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," Melania's representatives said in May.
However, Grisham's take on Melania's motherly nature painted a picture that was different from being a protective parent to her teenage son.
Barron started college at New York University's Stern School of Business in September.
Melania, who single-handedly raised Barron while her husband Donald was busy in his real estate empire and politics in the last decade, did not impose herself as a strict mother. Instead, she inculcated his own individuality.
In a recent interview on 'Fox & Friends', the former FLOTUS shared insights on Barron's NYU acceptance and his choice to stay with her at Trump Tower.
"I raised Barron as [his] own person and give him his own yes and nos," she said. "I respect that it was his decision to come here, that he wants to be [in] New York and study [in] New York and live in his home and I respect that."
Melania also gushed about her teenage son's independence while talking about the blended Trump family consisting of his four half-siblings from the former president's first two marriages -- Donald Trump Jr, Ivanka, Eric, and Tiffany Trump.
"Everybody's in control of [their] own self," the ex-FLOTUS said. "I'm not in control of my husband. I'm not in control of his children. I'm not even in control of my child."
In 2023, a source revealed to People that Barron was Melania's "first priority" always, and she was a "good mother."
