Jan 20, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; Vice President JD Vance, left, watches as Barron Trump shakes Barron Trump shakes hands with President Donald Trump after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States takes place inside the Capitol Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., Monday, January 20, 2025. It is the 60th U.S. presidential inauguration and the second non-consecutive inauguration of Trump as U.S. president.

President Donald Trump's youngest son approached the outgoing president Joe Biden moments after his father was sworn in for a second term on Jan. 20, 2025.

Towering over Biden, Barron Trump shook Biden's hand and then leaned over to shake former Vice President Kamala Harris' hand, a clip from C-SPAN shows. Some, including Joe Rogan, said the then-18-year-old son of the incoming president said something inflammatory to his father's opponents.

"Apparently, Trump's son went up to Biden at the inauguration and said, 'it's on now,'" Rogan said in a March episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience." "Apparently, lip readers have like read what he said."

But Eric Trump told Megyn Kelly in a live conversation on Nov. 14 that Barron Trump didn't say anything malicious in that interaction.

Here is what we know:

What did Barron Trump tell Joe Biden at the inauguration?

Eric Trump was talking about Barron Trump when he brought up the inauguration exchange, mentioning it prompted controversy as people tried to guess what Barron Trump said to Biden.

Eric Trump said he called his younger brother one night to get the real story.

"It was something so polite I almost wouldn't even get it right," Eric Trump recalled of what Barron Trump told him. "'Congratulations and best of luck to you,' or something like that. Something very respectful."

Eric Trump said he had been asked before if Barron Trump said some expletive to Biden.

"He just doesn't have that in him. Like, he's a nice guy. He's probably thinking it. He definitely has it up here," Eric Trump said, pointing to his temple, "but he's too courteous to actually go out there and say it."

Eric Trump describes Barron Trump as 'a little shy,' 'smart as hell.'

Eric Trump joked that he was the nicest Trump as he took the stage at Kelly's show.

"I think Tiffany's the nicest Trump, actually," Eric Trump went on. "Don's kind of a jerk, right? My father's pretty tough."

Kelly then mentioned how the world didn't know much about Barron Trump.

"Barron's young, right? He's not like old enough to be a jerk and get away with it," Eric Trump said. "He's a little shy ... but yet, Barron's smart as hell."

Eric Trump also described himself as very close to Barron Trump and said he "loves Barron to death."

Who is Barron Trump?

Barron Trump is the youngest of President Donald Trump's children and the only child of the president and first lady Melania Trump.

The 19-year-old sticks out at approximately 6-foot-7 whenever he does appear at his father's side, but he usually stays out of the public eye. His father has still given him credit for helping reach young voters through social media platforms and influencers like streamer Adin Ross.

Barron Trump completed his freshman year at New York University's Stern School of Business this past spring. Reports indicate he did not go back to New York this fall and instead enrolled in a different NYU campus.

Contributing: Jennifer Sangalang, USA TODAY Network

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at KCrowley@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X (Twitter), Bluesky and TikTok.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What did Barron Trump tell Biden at the inauguration? Eric Trump reveals moment

Reporting by Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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