The Brief: Rumors that Donald Trump's 14-year-old son Barron is an anime fan, Roblox player, and overall nice kid have some young social media users campaigning to "save" him from the White House.

Bluesquiggle
DEEP DIVE

The online movement to “Save Barron” Trump from the life he faces as a teenager in the White House is based on rumors and memes. In June 2020, rumors spread that people had found Barron’s Roblox account, which included the bio “I like anime. I play AdoptMe. I’m nice and friendly. I don’t like toxic people!!” The account that was cited as Barron Trump’s, JumpyTurtlee, has since changed its bio to read “I’M NOT TRUMPS SON. MY FRIEND LEAKED MY ACCOUNT AND SAID IT WAS ME!”

In addition to the debunked Roblox rumor, other unsubstantiated claims are circulating about Barron including that he doesn’t like his dad, likes KPOP, and supports the LGBTQ+ community. None of these claims have been verified and “information from his classmates” is typically cited as their source.

@purpleteletubbie

#savebarron2020 this poor 14 year old needs a fucking break and be his own person i feel so bad

♬ to build a home by the cinematic orchestra – bigb00tyjuulgang

Whether or not any of these rumors about Barron Trump have any truth to them, they have built momentum online as posts about efforts to #SaveBarron have received millions of likes. Some “free Barron” videos are made in the style of fancams, editing footage of Barron Trump with music in the background and treating him like a stan-worthy idol. On TikTok, videos associated with the hashtag #SaveBarron2020 have been viewed over 212 times and most of the top videos were posted by teenage girls.

@save.barron.2020

he’s so sweet🥺#🥺#savebarron2020 #savebarron#fyp

♬ SAVE BARRON – save.barron.2020

Content around efforts to #SaveBarron2020 includes both ironic posts and earnest ones. Some people who perpetuate the #SaveBarron movement appear to be making fun of the idea of rescuing Trump’s son from the White House. Other TikTok videos and Tweets seem to more seriously suggest that Barron Trump’s rumored dissatisfaction with his life in the White House merits some action, even if it’s just visiting his Roblox page. While the meme has gained significant traction, there isn’t evidence beyond a deleted Change.org petition that people were trying to take actual action to “save” Barron Trump.

@coochi3lips

this felt depressing writing down😖 #fyp #barrontrump #savebarron2020

♬ i don’t feel part of the world anymore – itssvd & Shiloh Dynasty

@mirandatrippy

did y’all not know about this? #fyp #foryoupage #foryou #4u #4up #4upage #savebarron2020 #freebarron2020 #barrontrump #art #meme #trending #viral #f

♬ original sound – uchesap_