Melania Trump Addresses the Rumors Whether Son Barron is ‘Autistic’ in Her New Memoir

Melania Trump finally quashed the claims surrounding her son Barron Trump with her pen in her newly released memoir. The book, titled Melania, explores her journey from childhood to the White House. In it, the former First Lady dispels the rumors from 2016 when her son was just ten years old and comedian Rosie O'Donnell sparked a frenzy with her tweet about Barron being a special child with autism, as reported by the Daily Beast. 

Melania shared that she couldn't forgive O'Donnell later when she apologized for the insensitive joke. "Barron's experience of being bullied both online and in real life following the incident is a clear indication of the irreparable damage caused. No apology can undo the harm inflicted upon him," she wrote. She further added, "There is nothing shameful about autism (though O'Donnell's tweet implied that there was), but Barron is not autistic." Calling O'Donnell out for sharing a video emphasizing that Barron's demeanor is similar to her child who is autistic, she said that her attempt to bring about awareness backfired into a classic case of internet bullying. 

"Someone had painstakingly compiled the footage and added captions like, 'His hands are moving erratically and aren't touching each other. Then he was spotted making strange movements in his seat, typical of children with autism,'" she explained. The former supermodel added, "I was appalled by such cruelty. It was clear to me that she was not interested in raising awareness about autism. I felt that she was attacking my son because she didn't like my husband," as reported by the Daily Mail. In 2016, the former The View panelist tweeted, "Barron Trump Autistic? If so - what an amazing opportunity to bring attention to the AUTISM epidemic," which was followed by a link to the controversial YouTube video. The tweet was later deleted in the wake of mounting backlash. 

The animosity between O'Donnell and Donald Trump dates back to 2006. However, what remains fresh in the memory of several was the moment when during a Republican debate the then-Fox News anchor, Megyn Kelly, asked Trump about his offensive statements about women. Kelly asked, "You've called women fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals." To this, the former President raised his finger and responded, "Only Rosie O'Donnell." 

In her memoir, the former FLOTUS also supports her real estate mogul husband on varied grounds, addressing many controversies that have engulfed the family since 2015. But, Melania expressed her opposition to Donald's stance on abortion. She voiced, "A woman's fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes. Restricting a woman's right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body."