President Donald Trump has some accolades for the technical acumen of his youngest son Barron — and they're baffling.

In a sit-down interview with Fox News personality Laura Ingraham in the Oval Office, the second-time president bragged that his youngest son may have a future in tech because, apparently, the 19-year-old college freshman knows how to turn his laptop on.

When Ingraham asked the president if Barron shows more of a propensity for business or politics — a valid question, considering he's currently enrolled New York University's Stern School of Business — the elder Trump responded "maybe technology."

"He can look at a computer..." Trump responded, trailing off. "I turn off his laptop, I said, 'Oh good,' and I go back five minutes later, he’s got his laptop, I say, 'How do you do that?' 'None of your business, dad.'"

Trump is notoriously technophobic, reportedly not using a computer or email. His outbursts about technology are often incomprehensible, like when he ducked into a Tesla recently and exclaimed that "everything is computer."

Were this any other father attempting to brag about his directionless young adult son, his latest rejoinder might be relatable. But Trump is far from the average father: this is a man who became a billionaire after allegedly ripping off the city of New York and getting in bed with the Russian mob, and whose second presidency is, somehow, already more nativist and violent than his first.

Behind the scenes, there's no telling how hard the president comes down on his youngest. We do, however, know a bit about how he's treated his other kids: according to Miami realtor (and DJ) Scott Melker, Trump once slapped his eldest son, Don Jr., in the face in front of their shared freshman dorm room at the University of Pennsylvania for having the gall to wear a jersey to a baseball game.

"Don Jr. opened the door, wearing a Yankee jersey. Without saying a word, his father slapped him across the face, knocking him to the floor in front of all of his classmates," Melker wrote in a November 2016 Facebook post, per the Miami New-Times. "He simply said 'put on a suit and meet me outside,' and closed the door."

One would hope that the president has softened on his kids with age, but given that weird anecdote about the laptop, it seems that Trump is either trying to save face on behalf of his kid who, like most college freshmen, doesn't have their whole life mapped out yet — or that he really is astounded by someone being able to turn on a computer.

More on Trump: Trump Ridiculed for Claiming He Rescued the Stranded Astronauts


Share This Article