Republicans voiced their outrage after former NBC senior executive Mike Sington said that former President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron, was now "fair game" on his 18th birthday.
Barron, the former president's and former first lady Melania Trump's only child together, turned 18 on Wednesday. Barron has stayed out of the spotlight for the most part as his father campaigns for president. While Trump and his adult children from his previous marriages have been under fire in the press and online on several occasions, Barron has avoided such criticism.
In a since-deleted post on X, formerly Twitter, Sington on Wednesday posted a photo of Trump and Barron, writing: "Barron Trump turns 18 today. He's fair game now."
Sington told Newsweek via X direct message on Wednesday: "I posted he was 'fair game' now, meaning, as an adult, he's 'fair game' for criticism from the press.
"Someone pointed out to me 'fair game' could mean fair game to be harmed. I don't wish physical harm on anyone, so I took it down. I listen to the comments and criticism I receive."
Newsweek reached out to Trump's campaign via email for comment.
Sington's post was not well-received by Republicans, some of whom called it "creepy."
"This is super creepy," wrote Garrett Ventry, former senior communications adviser to the Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans.
Michael R. Caputo, former assistant secretary of public affairs for the Department of Health and Human Services during the Trump administration, said: "This creepy NBC guy is completely broken. I wonder if he has kids? Nephews? Nieces? How old are they?"
"You sound like a creep dude," wrote Javon A. Price, former aide to GOP Representative Byron Donalds.
Brenden Dilley, host of political talk show The Dilley Show, said: "Strong pedo vibe, dude."
Trump is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee and will likely go up against President Joe Biden again in November in a rematch of 2020.
Melania, another Trump family member who has kept out of the spotlight this election cycle, joined her husband on Tuesday to cast their votes in Florida's primary. When asked if she will join Trump on the campaign trail, she said, "Stay tuned."
While it's unclear what the former first lady meant, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Melania's estranged friend and former aide who penned The New York Times bestseller Melania and Me: The Rise & Fall of a Friendship, wrote on X on Tuesday, "Let me interpret this for you: DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATHE!"
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