US President Donald Trump on Wednesday joked about his son Barron’s height and compared it with the Florida Gators basketball team. Trump honored the 2025 NCAA basketball champion Florida Gators at the White House on Wednesday and jokingly said, “You know I have a son that’s 6’9…He always says, ‘Dad I’m not that tall compared to some of these guys’, and now I understand what he’s talking about.”Barron Trump, the 18-year-old son of Donald Trump and Melania Trump, has found himself in the spotlight in recent months due to his father’s return to the Oval Office after winning the 2024 US election. Barron Trump stands at 6 feet 9 inches, making him taller than his father, who is 6 feet 3 inches.At the White House, Trump stated that “lesser teams would have crumbled” during their thrilling championship match victory.“It was looking bad,” Trump said, observing Houston’s 12-point lead in a game that Florida ultimately won 65-63 in San Antonio in April. “Did you think you were going to win?”Florida (36-4) achieved four comeback victories in six March Madness matches. The Gators controlled the final for merely 64 seconds, including the crucial last 46 seconds of a contest that remained uncertain until the final moments.Trump discussed Alijah Martin’s decisive two free throws that put the Gators ahead with 46.5 seconds remaining, and enquired about Martin’s nerves.“Lesser teams would have crumbled,” the president remarked.Florida achieved their third basketball championship, and Trump highlighted that they remain unique in securing three NCAA titles in both basketball and football. Following their consecutive NCAA victories in 2006 and 2007, the team visited President George W Bush at the White House.The East Room ceremony on Wednesday included prominent Trump administration officials from Florida, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump acknowledged Rubio as “no bigger Florida fan.”Florida Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody attended, alongside various state House members and former Florida football player Tim Tebow. Trump praised Tebow as “as a college player, maybe the best ever” and expressed his admiration despite Tebow’s stint with the NFL’s New York Jets.The team presented Trump with an autographed basketball and personalised No. 47 jersey. The president commended the Gators’ 39-year-old coach, Todd Golden, as “great” and “young” whilst quipping, “Boy, would I like to be his agent.”Previously, President Joe Biden hosted a combined ceremony honouring the 2024 NCAA men’s and women’s basketball champions, South Carolina and Connecticut.Since beginning his presidency in January, Trump has welcomed various championship teams, including Super Bowl victors Philadelphia Eagles. His April ceremony in the Rose Garden with NCAA football champions Ohio State Buckeyes became notable when Vice President JD Vance—an Ohio State graduate and supporter—accidentally dropped the team’s championship trophy.
