Donald Trump Quips That Melania Loves Barron More Than She Loves Him

Donald Trump mixed humor with diplomacy this week, joking that his wife Melania loves their son Barron more than she loves him, while also revealing the former First Lady had taken an unusually personal step in the effort to end the war in Ukraine.

President Donald Trump acknowledged that First Lady Melania Trump's affection for their son outweighs her love for him, tying the lighthearted quip to her deep concern for children affected by war.

The President shared the remarks during a Monday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on August 18, 2025, explaining that Melania had been so disturbed by images of children suffering in Ukraine that she wrote a letter directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump said he delivered the message himself during his meeting with Putin in Alaska last Friday, August 15, 2025.

"She's got a great love of children, she has a wonderful son that she loves probably more than anybody, including me, I hate to say it," Trump said during the Oval Office sit-down with Zelensky, referencing their 19-year-old son, Barron. "But she loves her son, she loves children, and she hates to see something like this happening."

While Barron made a rare public appearance during the 2024 campaign, he has largely remained out of the spotlight in recent months.

Trump's Alaska summit with Putin featured pageantry but produced no breakthrough on a ceasefire or peace deal. Instead, Trump hand-delivered Melania's letter, which urged the Russian leader to focus on the human toll of the war launched in February 2022.

"Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart, whether born randomly into a nation's rustic countryside or magnificent city center. They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger," she wrote.

"In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone — you serve humanity itself," she added. "Such a bold idea transcends all human division, and you, Mr. Putin, are fit to implement this vision with the stroke of the pen today. It is time."

Both the President and First Lady later published the letter on social media ahead of Trump's meeting with Zelensky, their first encounter since a tense February Oval Office session in which both Trump and Vice President JD Vance clashed with the Ukrainian leader.