MAGA’s pathetic crush on Barron Trump

Right-wing media has developed an unusually intense fixation on Barron Trump, Donald Trump’s 19-year-old son. From obsessive commentary about Barron’s height, to speculative gossip about his college dating life at NYU, MAGA media is trying to turn him into a cultural symbol. I take a closer look and show that the fixation reveals far more about conservative media’s insecurities than it does about the youngest Trump son. I’m joined by Madeline Peltz, independent journalist and researcher. Find her on Substack, https://numbertwopencil.substack.com, and on Bluesky, https://bsky.app/profile/peltzmadeline.bsky.social. Subscribe here on YouTube for more Standing Room Only, airing weekly Thursdays at 5 PM ET on YouTube. 🥳 Standing Room Only started as a newsletter. Join the party and get it in your inbox 2x a week by clicking here: https://www.salon.com/newsletter?utm_... 🤓 Read Amanda Marcotte's writing on Salon.com here: https://www.salon.com/writer/amanda_m... 👍 Follow Amanda on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/amandamarcot... ✌️ Support Salon’s mission—become a member: https://www.salon.com/premium?utm_sou... 🎵 Like our Encore segment? Follow the Standing Room Only Playlist on Spotify to hear the full songs and more recommendations from Amanda: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5xGJv3dQ8BPbO2gMw53dvB