Melania Trump discusses Barron autism rumors, media controversies in forthcoming memoir

Former first lady Melania Trump has always gone to great pains to maintain some sense of privacy for herself and her family, but her forthcoming memoir has offered rare insights into her takes on marriage and motherhood.

Among the revelations offered by Mrs. Trump in her book is the pain and disappointment resulting from unfounded rumors that her son, Barron, had been diagnosed with autism, and the manner in which she used the situation to inspire her to action on behalf of others in subsequent years, as the Daily Mail reports.

Autism rumor emerges

It was in the aftermath of her husband's election to the Oval Office in 2016 that comedienne Rosie O'Donnell -- a self-declared foe of Donald Trump -- spurred rumors that then 10-year-old Barron suffered from autism.

O'Donnell, herself a parent of an autistic child, reposted a video that analyzed Barron's observed behavioral traits and theorized that he was autistic.

“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,'” Mrs. Trump recalled.

In describing the incident and its fallout, Mrs. Trump emphasized, “There is nothing shameful about autism (though O'Donnell's tweet implied that there was), but Barron is not autistic.”

The posting of the video and its amplification by O'Donnell was, according to Melania Trump, “devastating as a parent” and something she believes was done out of “sheer malice.”

Personal fallout spurs action

Recounting that she felt “appalled by such cruelty,” Mrs. Trump added, “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.”

That attack, Mrs. Trump says, resulted in real harm to her child, including bullying she says yielded “irreparable damage."

Even in the face of the public scrutiny and false claims, Melania Trump reveals that Barron has grown into a “remarkable young man” who is a “rare combination of intelligence, charm, and diligence.”

The devoted mother praised her son's success in cultivating “a circle of friends, a thirst for knowledge, and a range of hobbies” and noted that she is continually amazed by “his growth and potential.”

As hurtful as O'Donnell's claims about Barron were at the time and for years after, they did succeed in spurring Mrs. Trump's decision to launch her “Be Best” campaign during her time as first lady, an initiative to aid children and combat the type of online bullying with which she had been all too familiar.

Setting the record straight

The soon-to-be-released memoir, Melania, also tackles a host of other issues and controversies from her family's time in Washington and beyond, including her personal stance on abortion rights, claims of 2020 election irregularities, and what she called the “skewed narratives” promulgated by the media.

Often enigmatic and always intriguing, the former -- and perhaps future -- first lady has used her memoir to offer a rare glimpse into a private, yet undeniably extraordinary life, and millions of Americans are looking forward to learning more about her unique personal journey.