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Louise Thomas
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Donald Trump’s teenage son, Barron, seemingly influenced the former president to pursue an interview with his “friend” and right-wing online streamer Adin Ross.
In a roughly hour-long interview with Ross, that was streamed on Monday, Trump told the 23-year-old that his son was “a big fan” and told him landing an interview with Ross was ‘big’.
“My son Barron says ‘hello’. He’s a great young guy but he’s a big fan of yours,” the former president said at the start of the live-streamed interview.
Ross is popular with young men – particularly with the demographic Barron, 18, belongs. Ross rose to fame initially streaming himself playing video games online but has also dabbled in giving controversial individuals, such as white supremacist Nick Fuentes, airtime on his platform.
“Barron says, ‘Dad he’s really big’ he said ‘he’s also a friend of mine’” Trump told Ross while admiring the size of the streamer’s auidence.
Ross has amassed more than 4 million followers on YouTube, 7.2 million on Instagram and 1.3 million on Kick.
“My kids say, ‘Dad you have no idea how big this interview is.’ I said ‘don’t tell me that,’” Trump said during the interview.
The former president indicated his sons were the ones who brought Ross to his attention. He called Ross’s success “outstanding” and later suggested he should, one day, make a bid for president – something Ross humbly turned down.
Instead, the streamer suggested Barron should he enter the political world.
Much of Monday’s interview consisted of Ross stroking the former president’s ego – allowing Trump to repeat familiar rants and attack Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris. At one point, Ross outrightly told his platform of 1.36 million followers on Kick to vote for Trump.
He later gifted the former president a Tesla Cybertruck and a gold Rolex, though it is unclear if Trump can accept the gifts per Federal Election Commission guidelines.
The bizarre interview seems part of Trump’s campaign strategy to appeal to young men – a voting group moving more to the right.
Trump sat down in June with social media influencer and professional wrestler Logan Paul to discuss his campaign. Paul’s podcast is also popular among young men. Now, Trump has turned his attention to Ross.
Before being sanctioned by Twitch in 2023, Ross had more than 7.2 million followers on the streaming platform. The platform permanently banned him after he faced multiple suspensions for hateful conduct.
Ross was accused of giving a masked individual a platform to espouse Nazi-like views.
He also found himself at the center of a controversy involving the right-wing media personality Andrew Tate who was accused of human trafficking and rape among other charges. Last year, a law firm accused Ross of prompting authorities to investigate Tate on suspicion that he was planning to flee Romania before the trial, according to NBC News.
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