Donald Trump Credits Barron's Height To Melania's Mom, Says Son Prefers Soccer Over Basketball

Donald Trump credited his son Barron Trump's impressive height to the culinary skills of his wife Melania's late mother, Amalija Knavs, and revealed that his youngest prefers soccer over basketball.

During a speech at his campaign headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Monday, Trump gave a shoutout to all his children and singled out Barron, mentioning that the 17-year-old was watching the event on TV.

The former president shared that Barron had a close relationship with Amalija before she passed away earlier this month.

"Great people, great parents to all of us, really. Great parents, but also to Barron. Boy, did she take care of Barron," Trump told the crowd, as seen in a video shared by C-SPAN.

Trump attributed Barron's towering height, 6 feet and 7 inches, to his grandmother's cooking.

"That's how he got so tall, he only ate her food," he added, eliciting laughter from the audience.

Despite Barron's towering frame, Trump said his son has no plans to become a basketball player.

"I said, 'You're gonna be a basketball player.' He said, 'Well, I like soccer, dad, actually.' I thought... at your height, I like basketball better, but you can't talk them into everything," the frontrunner in the 2024 Republican presidential race shared.

Barron has shown his passion for soccer multiple times over the years, from donning the uniform of English Premier League team Arsenal to inviting Wayne Rooney to the White House in 2018 when the soccer legend played for DC United, according to the Daily Mail. The teen previously played for the MLS club's youth team.

This wasn't the first time Trump had spoken about his youngest son's love for sports.

In an interview with Megyn Kelly in September 2023, Trump praised Barron as a "very good athlete" and highlighted his academic achievements.

"Barron is a very good athlete. He's a good kid. He's a good-looking kid. He's a great student," he said.

Melania's mother Amalija died on Jan. 9 at the age of 78 after battling an undisclosed illness.

An unnamed source close to the family told People that Barron adored his grandmother and spent a lot of time with Melania's parents.

"There have been times when Barron has been with his grandparents more than with Melania, and a lot more than with Donald," the insider claimed.

In 2015, Melania spoke to People about her hands-on approach to motherhood.

She shared that she helped Barron with homework, attended his after-school activities, and encouraged his aspirations, which have included a desire to be a golfer, businessman, and pilot.