Is Donald preparing ‘Emperor Barron’ to be the NEXT President Trump? Insiders reveal the 18-year-old’s private ambitions – and why Don’s other sons would lose a family succession battle

Throughout Barron Trump’s childhood, Melania, her son’s fiercely protective mother, did everything she could to shield her son from the worst excesses of a life in the public eye.

She was so successful at keeping him hidden while his father became the most famous man in the world that very little is actually known about Donald Trump’s youngest child.

Despite towering over his 6-foot-3 father at 6 feet 10 inches, Barron is an unassuming figure. He speaks rarely and smiles shyly as he moves between the darkened SUVs and family apartments in New York’s Trump Tower. And, of course, his mother is always by his side.

He was only 10 years old when his father was first elected president in 2016 and Melania, despite her perceived cold demeanor, insisted he personally prepare his breakfast and lunch every day.

That image of a nervous “mama’s boy” was all but shattered Tuesday night. At a raucous Trump rally in the family’s native Miami, amid MAGA hats and flags galore, Barron — who turned 18 in March — was officially inducted into his father’s world.

“Welcome to the stage, Barron,” Trump bellowed, gesturing to his son, who rose from his seat in the front row and waved to the adoring crowd. “He’s had such a nice, easy life, now it’s changed a little bit.”

Meanwhile, Melania was hundreds of miles away in New York, busy organizing a Republican fundraiser. Not that Barron seemed to mind, grinning when his father quipped, “You’re pretty popular!”

But does this cheerful summer rally mean something deeper?

Trump insiders have long said that the former president hopes to establish a generational political dynasty to rival the Kennedys and the Clintons.

Could Barron’s coming of age be the moment Donald has been waiting for?

‘[Trump] ‘I want his surname to resonate through the halls of power in Washington long after he is gone,’ Thomas Gift, director of the Centre on US Politics at University College London, told DailyMail.com. ‘If Trump wins in 2024, you can be sure he will want to play a major role in appointing his likely successor, preferably someone with his own lineage.’

During Trump’s presidency, there were rumors that his eldest daughter Ivanka, now 42, was the heavy favorite to succeed the throne.

It certainly made sense. Ivanka was one of the top advisers in his administration, serving her father alongside her husband Jared Kushner.

But when she stepped down from politics in 2022, saying, “While I will always love and support my father, I will do so outside the political arena from now on,” she left a gap in the line of succession.

Trump’s other two sons, Eric, 40, and Donald Jr, 46, have both been active in politics for some time.

Don Jr. in particular has become something of an advisor to his father in the years since his presidency, attending Trump’s seven-week trial in Manhattan over hush-money payments this spring.

But whether he or Eric have the charisma and – critics may argue – the intelligence to carry on Trump’s legacy remains to be seen.

“The problem is that there is still only one Donald Trump. He is a unique iconoclastic figure who cannot easily be replaced, even by his own kin,” Gift says.

At Tuesday’s Miami rally, Trump even appeared to joke about the issue. Barron is now “more popular” than Don Jr. and Eric, he teased, adding, “We need to talk about this.”

But is Barron open to a conversation?

Since he turned 18 and graduated from the exclusive Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, there has been much gossip about his future ambitions.

It is not yet known where he will attend college, although Trump indicated on Tuesday that his son had now made “a decision.”

Options include New York University, Georgetown (Eric’s old college), and the University of Pennsylvania, where both his father and Don Jr. studied economics.

While Barron’s own choice of field and career goals have not yet been publicly confirmed, a move into politics seems increasingly likely.

“He’s much more interested in politics than people realise,” an insider told the Mail in May.

“I see all the qualities of a future president if he feels like it. And why not? He has the Trump genes.”

MAGA fans certainly believe in the Barron ascension story, even calling him “Emperor Barron Trump” online.

One fan, Ben Berry, shared a video of X stopping Trump at Mar-A-Lago earlier this year and asked, “You have an amazing family, especially Barron’s popularity is growing. What are your hopes and aspirations for your son?”

“They say Barron is getting very popular. Barron, ladies and gentlemen, Barron Trump is getting very popular,” Trump responded.

Even the big Republicans seem eager to have Barron on board. In May, they announced that he had been selected as a delegate from Florida for next week’s summer convention.

Melania “regretfully declined” the invitation on his behalf, saying he was “honored” to be asked but had “other commitments.”

Barron has long been accustomed to his mother’s indomitable maternal spirit.

She broke with tradition when Trump was elected and initially chose to stay in New York and keep Barron with her. She insisted that Barron finish his school year in the city rather than transfer to the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., where the Clintons, Bushes and Obamas sent their children.

“When he was a minor she was very protective of him and we knew very little about the details of his daily life,” a family source told DailyMail.com.

‘I think he can make more decisions for himself now [that he’s 18]. He can invite anyone he wants to dinner. He’s slowly becoming more public.’

As news of President Biden’s disastrous performance during the CNN-Trump debate broke last week, footage surfaced of the Donald sitting next to Barron in a golf cart.

In the recording, Trump can be heard making mean jokes to employees, saying that Biden is an “old, broken piece of shit” and that he’s “going to drop out of the race.” He then turns his ire on Vice President Kamala Harris, saying, “She’s so fucking bad.”

Astute political observers quickly noticed that while Barron himself remained silent, he nodded conspicuously as his father spoke.

Melania’s former White House chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, told DailyMail.com this week that she is not surprised by this.

“Now that he’s 18, he can make more decisions for himself,” she said, adding that it’s “very possible” that Barron will choose a career in politics.

“He’s statesmanlike. It’s almost like royalty.”

Whatever happened, Grisham insisted that Barron could always count on his mother.

“Melania would support him, whatever decision he made, she would be there to give advice, regardless of what she secretly thought about it,” she said.

With the support of his father, the Republican Party and now even the blessing of his mother, the question arises: Are we just getting to know the new face of the Trump dynasty?