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Who is Nathaniel Roosevelt? 6'7" Barron Trump not tallest 'presidential offspring', says writer

Richard G Rosner, a former producer at ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ tweeted, 'Barron Trump is taller than any other presidential offspring except for...'

Barron Trump, the 15-year-old son of former President Donald Trump was recently seen towering over his mother, Melania Trump, as the duo was seen making their way out of Trump Tower in New York City on Wednesday, June 7. Tabloids have reported that the Trump scion is already 6 feet 7 inches tall.

Barron’s height has long been a talking point during the Trump presidency. Last year in April, Refinery29 did a “very serious investigation” into this politically charged topic and concluded that he might be 6 feet 7 inches tall at the time — he was 14 then. But no matter what his height was at what age, it has had a lot of memetic value. 

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So, after the latest photo of Barron towering over his 5 feet 11 inches mom (who is always seen in high heels) went viral, Richard G. Rosner, a former producer and writer at ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’, tweeted, “At 6'7", Barron Trump is taller than any other presidential offspring except for 8'3" Nathaniel ‘Tree’ Roosevelt,” accompanied by a photo of this supposed really tall person.

Who is Nathaniel Roosevelt?

Well, Theodore Roosevelt, also known as Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, had a daughter with his first wife Alice Hathaway Lee — Alice Lee Roosevelt. After the death of his first wife, Roosevelt married Edith Kermit Carow. They had five children: Theodore ‘Ted’ III, Kermit, Ethel, Archibald, and Quentin. No Nathaniel there.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, often referred to by his initials FDR, the 32nd president of the United States, was a fifth cousin to the aforementioned president. FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt had five sons and a daughter, although one son died in infancy. They were Anna Eleanor, James, two Franklin D Roosevelt Jrs, Elliott, and John Aspinwall. No Nathaniels here as well.

Nathaniel ‘Tree’ Roosevelt is not a presidential scion at all. In fact, he is not a real person — there may as well be people with that name who may even have ‘Tree’ as a nickname but that’s not the person in the photo. The person in the picture, as something even Rosner mentioned in the replies, was someone historically famous.

The photo depicted Robert Wadlow, whom the Guinness Book of Records dubbed the tallest man "of whom there is irrefutable evidence". When last measured on June 27, 1940, Wadlow, who was described as a “mild-mannered American”, stretched a staggering 8 feet 11.1 inches tall.

Wadlow’s height caused a number of medical issues, however, which worsened as he grew older and taller — he had difficulty moving around and had leg braces and a walking stick. And the enormous height was caused by medical conditions as well. Doctors examined him and found that his exceptional size was caused by hyperplasia of his pituitary gland. Aged just 22, Wadlow died at 1.30 am on July 15, 1940, in a hotel in Manistee, Michigan, as a result of a septic blister on his right ankle caused by a brace, which had been poorly fitted only a week earlier.