October 1, 2026 at 12:20pm EDT

Barron Trump is stepping into his own style, and his latest look is a striking departure from the polished image he’s long shared with dad Donald Trump.

The youngest child of the President of the United States might be trying to carve out his own identity in his father’s town, Washington, D.C. Barron, 20, is currently a junior at New York University’s satellite campus, so it makes sense for him to play with his sense of style. In recent snapshots published by Hello!, Barron has ditched the slicked-back hair for a more casual ‘do.

The artfully tousled hair was paired with a noticeably dressed-down look too. Instead of the tailored suits he wears to his father’s events, he went with a business casual outfit: khakis, a white Ralph Lauren polo shirt, and a black backpack. It’s rare to see the president’s son captured by paparazzi outside of official White House functions.

And the new look also comes on the heels of a Hello! report that the college student has a girlfriend — and it’s serious. They’ve reportedly been together for over a year after meeting on campus, but Barron has been cautious in keeping her identity a mystery.

Melania Trump has also been giving hints that her son is more independent now that he’s an adult. She appeared on Fox Business’s The Big Money Show on September 23 that she is sharing “less and less family time” with him because “Barron is already a young man.”

“So sometimes he’s maybe even happy that, you know, I just want to do my stuff,” Melania explained about Barron spreading his wings. “And that’s okay.”

The New York Post described Barron as “pretty reclusive” in August, partly because of the constant threats on his life. It’s a sentiment that was echoed by his niece, Kai Trump, 19, on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast in January.

“He’s a great guy,” she said. “He doesn’t like the public eye so much, which I understand. But he’s a great guy.”

Despite his desire for privacy, the more relaxed look may simply be another small sign that Barron is becoming increasingly comfortable defining himself on his own terms.