Donald Trump’s youngest son Barron is now comfortably the tallest in the family, towering over his father at his grandmother’s funeral.
Father and son stood side by side as they mourned Melania Trump’s mother Amalija Knavs, who died on January 9 at the age of 78.
Barron, now 17, is 6 feet tall – even taller than his father, the ex-president, who at 6 feet 1 inch himself cuts a towering figure.
The teenager stood next to Donald Trump, Melania and Knavs’ widower Viktor, dwarfing all three as they waited for the coffin to arrive on Thursday morning.
Barron Trump stood next to his father Donald and mother Melania at the funeral of his grandmother Amalija Knavs, who died on January 9 at the age of 78
Barron’s four-inch height advantage over his father was evident from the moment they stepped out of the car together, when the boy placed a guiding hand on Trump’s arm.
Barron, now 17, is 6 feet tall – even taller than his father, the ex-president, who at 6 feet 1 inch himself cuts a towering figure
Knavs was farewelled by about a hundred mourners at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, Florida, where Melania delivered a moving eulogy.
Barron’s four-inch height advantage over his father was evident from the moment they stepped out of the car together, when the boy placed a guiding hand on Trump’s arm.
In her eulogy, Melania spoke of her mother’s love for her grandson Barron, whom she “showered with affection and illuminated his world with love, tender care and unwavering devotion.”
Trump credited his son’s impressive growth to Knavs’ traditional Slovenian cuisine during a campaign event before the Republican caucuses in Iowa.
“That’s how he got so big that he only ate her food,” he joked to the crowd of supporters.
“I said you’re going to be a basketball player. He said, “Well, I actually like football dad.” But you can’t talk them into everything! Barron was a special boy.’
Barron is said to have a close bond with his grandmother, who, along with Viktor, taught him to speak Slovenian while growing up.
Bojan Pozar wrote in his book ‘Melania Trump – The Inside Story: The Potential First Lady’ that Barron “almost certainly speaks Slovenian with… Ines, his aunt, who also lives in New York.”
“Ines Knavs was the one who arranged all the paperwork at the Slovenian consulate in New York so that Barron could formally acquire Slovenian citizenship,” he added.
Barron is believed to be the first son of a president to have dual citizenship.
Barron has grown dramatically since his father’s inauguration in January 2017, when he was just 10
The teenager stood next to Donald Trump, Melania and Knavs’ widower Viktor (left), dwarfing all three as they waited for the coffin to arrive on Thursday morning.
They walked slowly as a foursome to the church, in complete silence, as dozens of police officers looked on, the three men in black suits and ties and Melania in a black jacket, black skirt and a silver cross around her neck.
Other photos from the funeral show Barron standing next to his grandfather Viktor and several other mourners – and standing much taller than all of them.
Mourners joined Melania and her father Viktor Thursday morning at the same picturesque Palm Beach church where she married Trump nearly two decades earlier.
The former president flew to Florida in the early hours to be by his wife’s side, the pair following close behind the hearse in one of about a dozen black SUVs, arriving just after 10 a.m.
Melania and Trump were joined by Barron, while Knavs’ widower Viktor appeared visibly upset but paused to collect himself before joining the others.
They walked slowly as a foursome to the church, in complete silence, as dozens of police officers watched; the three men wore black suits and ties and Melania in a black suit jacket, black skirt and a silver cross around her neck.
The Rev. Tim Schenck, who took over as rector at Bethesda in 2022, was waiting at the entrance of the church to greet them with a somber nod and a few short words of comfort.
Melania remained stoic and expressionless behind her black jumbo sunglasses as the four of them turned at once to watch Knavs’ coffins, decorated with a dazzling display of white roses, orchids and lilies, being carried from the street to the church.
Finally they all turned to go inside. The coffin entered behind them and passed another enormous pink and white display of flowers consisting of roses, carnations and daisies.
All four came out of the church just behind the coffin, which was carried by six pallbearers
Melania maintained her steely composure as she emerged from the church and watched silently as the coffin was carried out, flanked by pallbearers and clergy.
Melania Trump delivered a moving eulogy for her mother Amalija Knavs, who died on January 9 at the age of 78
As she delivered the eulogy inside, Melania’s voice rose from the stage as she said, “Rest in peace, my beloved mother.”
“Her caring spirit knew no bounds and created a legacy that will last for generations,” she said.
‘She turned heads with her beauty and impeccable sense of style. But it was her relentless dedication and hard work that made her exceptional.”
Melania maintained her calm composure as she emerged from the church and watched silently as the coffin was carried out, flanked by pallbearers and clergy.
As the procession reached the road and she watched her mother being loaded back into the hearse, Trump reached out and tenderly squeezed his wife’s hand.
She left in the same vehicle as her father, while Trump followed her in another SUV, with a grateful nod to the Secret Service agents who closed the road to ensure the mourners had an easy escape.
Melania’s mother Amalija Knavs (center, pictured in June 2018) was buried Thursday in the same picturesque Palm Beach church where her daughter married Donald Trump nearly two decades earlier
Former First Lady Melania Trump’s mother, Amalija Knavs, 78, died over the holidays after being hospitalized in Miami, Florida
The Trumps have been regulars at the 125-year-old chapel since Melania married then-real estate mogul Donald there in 2005 in the presence of VIP guests including Hillary and Bill Clinton.
A year later, Barron was baptized at the Gothic Revival-style venue, less than three miles from Trump’s swanky Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago.
The Trumps also attended several Christmas services there during his presidency.
It was unclear whether Donald Trump would make it after a heated argument with a New York federal judge overseeing E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case against him. The judge has rejected a request to postpone the trial.
Judge Lewis Kaplan noted that the former president was not legally required to appear in court in person in any case.