Melania Trump blasts Food Network's John Henson for joke on Barron's parentage: 'Let him grow without hate'
First Lady Melania Trump slammed Food Network show host John Henson on Tuesday, June 23, for making "inappropriate comments" about her son Barron. Henson, a comedian, who hosts 'Halloween Baking Championship' on Food Network had tweeted, stating that he hopes "Barron gets to spend today with whoever his dad is."
Henson had reportedly made the remark after President Donald Trump's four other children from his two previous marriages wished him a happy Father's Day on social media. Shortly after the stand-up comedian's remark, the first lady responded to his Twitter post through her spokesperson Stephanie Grisham.
Grisham, in a statement to The Daily Caller, said: "Sadly we continue to see inappropriate and insensitive comments about (President Donald Trump's) son." Melania, one a rare response, added through Grisham: "As with every other administration, a minor child should be off-limits and allowed to grow up with no judgment or hate from strangers and the media."
Henson, last week, had also targeted another Trump son, Eric Trump, saying that Eric's "eyes are so far apart he has to turn his head to look at you." The comic had also added that Eric "looks like an argument against 'standardized testing.'" Shortly after Henson's tweets, multiple social media users called for the Food Network to fire the comedian from its show. However, there were others who defended Henson's humor.
Melania, on a previous occasion, had called out law professor Pamela Karlan for publicly attacking her 14-year-old son in December last year. The first lady's rebuke came after Karlan made a joke about Barron while testifying during the House impeachment hearings. The law professor, while addressing the House Judiciary Committee, had said: "The Constitution says there can be no titles of nobility, so while the president can name his son Barron, he can't make him a baron."
Shortly after Karlan's statement, Melania tweeted: "A minor child deserves privacy and should be kept out of politics. Pamela Karlan, you should be ashamed of your very angry and obviously biased public pandering, and using a child to do it."
Melania's defense of her son comes shortly after the release of the first lady's new biography titled 'The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump,' by Washington Post reporter Mary Jordan. The book told of a strained relationship between Melania and President Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka Trump. Melania, according to the book, reportedly called Ivanka "the Princess" while the first daughter referred to Melania as "the portrait."
The claim, however, was denied by White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere, who said in a statement: "These allegations couldn't be further from the truth and had the Washington Post or the publishers of this book fact-checked this with Ivanka's office, they would know that. Hit pieces like these only serve to conjure non-existent palace-intrigue stories unworthy of the paper they're printed on."
Jordan, in the 286-page book, has examined Melania Trump's life and journey. She has painted the first lady as focused, ruthless, and ambitious, a far different description of her from her public image. At one point, the author also notes that Melania and President Trump have a lot in common.