A since-deleted X post sparked unexpected internet speculation this week when it attempted to link journalist Rikki Schlott romantically to Barron Trump, the 20-year-old son of President Trump. Schlott, a 25-year-old columnist at the New York Post, wasted no time shutting down the rumors.
On Wednesday, April 15, 2026, Schlott reposted the original claim on X with a three-word response: “That’s a no.”
OK! Magazine first spotlighted the denial, which quickly spread across social media. Reactions varied wildly, with some commenters suggesting Barron “is out of her league,” while others took a different view, telling Schlott she was “too smart and pretty for him.” One user quipped: “I bet you wish you were? lol,” and another added “You would be so lucky.”
The origin of the speculation appears rooted in two factors. Both Schlott and Barron have connections to New York University — he currently attends NYU’s Stern School of Business, while she studied history there before dropping out during the pandemic and transferring to Columbia University. Additionally, a December 2024 article in which Schlott described Barron as “hunky” seems to have provided fuel for the rumor more than a year after publication, The Mirror US reported.
The president’s youngest son has maintained a notably low profile regarding his personal relationships. Neither Barron nor his family have ever publicly discussed his dating life, though public interest has grown as he navigates 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.” In May 2025, NewsNation reported that “Barron has a really nice girlfriend and hangs out with her a lot.”
More details about Barron’s personal life emerged unexpectedly during a London court case earlier this year. A British woman with whom Barron had developed a “very close” online friendship through social media became the victim of an assault by her then-boyfriend, Matvei Rumiantsev, on Jan. 18, 2025. Rumiantsev, a Russian national and trained MMA fighter, had grown jealous of her connection with the president’s son.
During the attack, Rumiantsev answered a FaceTime call from Barron and turned the camera to show the woman crying on the floor. Barron immediately dialed 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 arrived and arrested Rumiantsev. At trial in London’s Snaresbrook Crown Court in January 2026, Rumiantsev described Barron as “quite persistent” and said he was “jealous to some extent” of the friendship. A jury convicted him of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Jan. 28, and he was later sentenced to four years in prison.
Barron enrolled at NYU’s Stern School of Business in September 2024 after graduating from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach. President Trump, 79, spoke warmly about the choice 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, weighed in during a December 2024 appearance on “Fox & Friends,” saying she didn’t think it was “possible” for her son to be a “normal student” given his family’s profile — though she added she was very proud of him.
Despite initial reports suggesting Barron occupied an entire floor at Trump Tower, he has since relocated to Washington, D.C., with his parents and continues his studies through NYU’s Washington campus, according to RadarOnline.
Beyond his academic pursuits, Barron is stepping into the business world. Business filings in Florida and Delaware from this past January list him as one of five directors in Sollos Yerba Mate Inc. The brand, SOLLOS Yerba Mate, is set to launch in May 2026, with its debut product already teased on LinkedIn: a 12-pack in Pineapple + Coconut.
As the Irish Star noted, very little is publicly known about his personal life — and based on this week’s swift response, at least one young journalist would prefer to keep her name out of the guessing game entirely.