Former first son Barron Trump, the youngest child of former President Donald Trump, spent four years living in the White House as a young boy but somehow managed to largely avoid the public spotlight during those years.

That is due in large part to the protective nature of his mother, former first lady Melania Trump, but she recently revealed in an interview that her beloved only child is now an adult in college who can forge his own path in life, according to Hello!

As such, he likely won't be returning to the White House once his president-elect father begins to serve his second term in office, at least not full-time, and it remains to be seen if his mother will continue to try to protect him from attacks and scrutiny by partisan opponents and the media.

Melania doesn't feel like an "empty nester" now that Barron is gone

In late September, The Independent reported that former first lady Melania sat down for one of her only interviews of the 2024 campaign with "Fox & Friends" co-host Ainsley Earhardt, during which she spoke about her son Barron turning 18 and heading off to college at New York University's Stern School of Business.

"I could not say I’m an empty nester, I don’t feel that way," she said of her son leaving their home at Mar-a-Lago in South Florida. "I raised Barron as [his] own person and give him his own 'yes and nos.'"

"I respect that. It was his decision to come here, that he wants to be [in] New York and study [in] New York and live in his home and I respect that," the former first lady continued of the "incredible young man" she is exceptionally proud of.

"I’m very proud of what he grew up to. His strength, his intelligence, his knowledge, his kindness. It’s admirable," she added. "And he’s enjoying his college days. I hope he will have a great experience because his life is very different than any other 18 to 19-year-old child."

As for managing the blended family she shares with the former president, who has four older children from two previous marriages, Melania admitted, "Everybody’s in control of own self. I’m not in control of my husband. I’m not in control of his children. I’m not even in control of my child."

A protected upbringing

Hello! noted that Barron Trump essentially grew up in "a life of luxury" that included lavish living arrangements and the best private education that his parents could buy at exclusive institutions in New York City, the Washington D.C. area, and Palm Beach, Florida.

Barron, who graduated this spring and began his freshman year at NYU in the fall, is fluent in both English and Slovenian, the native tongue of his mother and her family, and now appears to be following in his famous father's footsteps, both in terms of business and politics.

Melania once said in a separate interview of her son, "He is a very strong-minded, very special, smart boy. He is independent and opinionated and knows exactly what he wants. Sometimes, I call him Little Donald. He is a mixture of us in looks, but his personality is why I call him Little Donald."

An active interest in politics

Hello! further observed that, as a young child, the former first lady worked hard to protect her son and keep him out of the public spotlight that shines so glaringly on his father and older siblings.

However, despite his declining to serve as a Florida delegate tasked with nominating his father at the Republican convention this summer, the former president has indicated that his youngest child has begun to display an interest in politics and even provided him with some advice and assistance on his re-election campaign.

Indeed, per The Independent, sources suggest that Barron is responsible for encouraging his father to participate in interviews with various podcasters who are hugely popular with young men -- highly-rated appearances that arguably contributed substantially to Trump's successful re-election on Tuesday.