Journalist Rikki Schlott, 25, quickly dispensed with speculation about a romance with Barron Trump on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, responding to a now-deleted X post with just three words: “That’s a no.”
The New York Post columnist’s swift denial, first spotlighted by OK! Magazine, sent social media into overdrive as users weighed in on the 20-year-old son of President Trump and the writer who suddenly became the subject of viral gossip.
While the origin of the rumor remains unclear, the NYU connection likely fueled speculation. The president’s youngest son attends the Stern School of Business at New York University, while Schlott studied history there before leaving during the pandemic and transferring to Columbia University. A December 2024 article in which Schlott described Barron as “hunky” apparently kept the rumor alive more than a year later, The Mirror US reported.
The denial sparked mixed reactions online. Some suggested Barron “is out of her league,” while others teased: “I bet you wish you were? lol,” and “You would be so lucky.” A different camp countered that Schlott was “too smart and pretty for him.”
When it comes to Barron’s romantic life, public knowledge is scarce. Neither he nor his family have spoken about his relationships, though curiosity has grown since he started college.
A source told People in late 2024, “He’s really popular with the ladies. He’s tall and handsome. A lot of people seem to think he’s pretty attractive — yes, even liberal people like him.” By May 2025, NewsNation reported that “Barron has a really nice girlfriend and hangs out with her a lot.”
A more troubling chapter emerged in a London courtroom earlier this year. Court proceedings revealed Barron maintained a “very close” online friendship with a British woman he’d connected with on social media. Her then-boyfriend, Matvei Rumiantsev, attacked her on Jan. 18, 2025, in a jealous rage. The Russian national and trained MMA fighter answered a FaceTime call from Barron during the assault, turning the camera to show the woman crying on the floor.
Barron immediately called 999, Britain’s emergency number, telling the operator: “I’m calling from the US. I just got a call from a girl… she’s getting beat up.” Police arrested Rumiantsev, who later described Barron as “quite persistent” and admitted being “jealous to some extent” of the friendship during his trial at London’s Snaresbrook Crown Court in January 2026. A jury found him guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Jan. 28, and he received a four-year prison sentence.
Beyond the rumor mill, Barron has been building his own path. He started at NYU’s Stern School of Business in September 2024 following graduation from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach. President Trump, 79, discussed the decision at the time, saying, “I went to Wharton, and that was certainly one that we were considering. We didn’t do that. We went for Stern.”
First Lady Melania Trump, 55, addressed her son’s college experience during a December 2024 “Fox & Friends” appearance, stating she didn’t think it was “possible” for him to be a “normal student” due to his family’s high profile — though she expressed pride in him.
Despite initial reports placing him on an entire floor at Trump Tower, Barron has relocated to Washington, D.C., with his parents and now continues his studies through NYU’s Washington campus, according to RadarOnline.
He’s also stepped into the business world. Business filings from January in Florida and Delaware list Barron as one of five directors in Sollos Yerba Mate Inc. The company plans to launch SOLLOS Yerba Mate in May 2026, with a 12-pack in Pineapple + Coconut already previewed on LinkedIn.
For now, Barron remains one of the most private members of the Trump family, and Schlott’s blunt response this week makes clear she has no intention of being part of the speculation surrounding his personal life.
