The dark side of being a White House child
Barron Trump jokes raise questions about treatment of presidential kids
If it’s tough being a kid, try being a “first kid” — the child of an American president.
Just ask Bill Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea. Or George W. Bush’s twins, Jenna and Barbara. And now, President Donald Trump’s youngest child, Barron, is finding out.
Ten-year-old Barron was the target of a poorly received joke tweeted by a Saturday Night Live writer last month as the new first family reveled in Inauguration Day events.
Separately in Chicago, comedian Shannon Noll played the title character in Barron Trump: Up Past Bedtime, which had a recent run at a theater in Hyde Park.
Both instances have revived age-old questions about the sometimes less-than-kidgloves treatment of presidential kids.
“I think the children are offlimits,” said Lisa Caputo, who was White House press secretary when Saturday Night Live made fun of then-13-yearold Chelsea Clinton.
“They didn’t run for public office, they don’t hold an official role.”
SNL cast member Mike Meyers sent the Clintons a letter of apology after the incident.
The teenage Chelsea Clinton also was mocked by talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, who called her a dog.
Katie Rich, the SNL writer who tweeted about Barron, was suspended indefinitely. After deleting the tweet and deactivating her Twitter account, she reactivated the account, saying she wanted to “sincerely apologize” for the “insensitive” tweet and that she deeply regretted her actions.
Fellow comedians have risen to her defense, but Noll told the Chicago Reader that she has been the subject of a social media backlash, including death threats, as well as homophobic, transphobic, anti-Semitic and racist comments directed at her.
All presidents and first ladies seek a life outside the spotlight for minor children who live in the 132-room mansion, except when they themselves put their kids in the spotlight.
Days after the incident involving Rich, the White House appealed for respect for Barron’s privacy.
“It is a long-standing tradition that the children of presidents are afforded the opportunity to grow up outside of the political spotlight,” the White House press office said in a brief statement. “The White House fully expects this tradition to continue.”
That same week, Trump told Sean Hannity of Fox News that it was “a disgrace” for NBC “to attack my 10-year-old son.” Trump also suggested the dust-up may have bothered Barron, who has only been seen publicly during big moments of the past year, such as the night Trump addressed the Republican National Convention and election night.
He continues to live fulltime in New York City with his mother, first lady Melania Trump.
Doug Wead, who wrote a book about the children of presidents, said it’s the “ultimate hurt” when the offspring become the vehicle for the ire that some grown-ups wish they could direct toward the president. He said kids become targets because they’re seen as weak.
However, Wead said few tears should be shed over the fact that these children sometimes get rough treatment from the public.
As children of privilege, they are steps ahead of so many of their peers.
“Two of them became presidents themselves,” Wead said, referring to George W. Bush, son of president George H.W. Bush, and John Quincy Adams, son of president John Adams.