What It’s Really Like for the First Kids Growing Up in the White House

What It's Really Like for the First Kids Growing Up in the White House

As I delve into the lives of these remarkable individuals, I find myself in awe of their unique journeys and experiences. Malia Obama, having grown up in the White House, has undeniably had an extraordinary upbringing. Yet, she’s chosen to blaze her own trail in the world of film and television, directing her first short film at the tender age of 26. Her courage and determination are truly inspiring.


Regardless of who wins the 2024 presidential election and takes office in January, the White House will, in a technical sense, be vacant or unoccupied.

Neither Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff nor Donald Trump and Melania Trump have children who are younger than college age in their families any longer. Barron Trump, the youngest among them, lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for four significant years but is currently attending New York University as a business student.

Even adult children can leave a unique mark on a place, as seen when President Richard Nixon’s daughter Tricia married Edward Cox in the White House Rose Garden in 1971. Similarly, in the current administration, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden’s granddaughter Naomi wed Peter Neal on the South Lawn in 2022.

Despite the nostalgia that may arise as we consider the passing years, the hallways of the residence where U.S. presidents have dwelled since 1800 continue to echo with recollections of first children.

Leaders such as Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump resided there when their kids were attending elementary or middle school, or – in the case of George W. Bush – they had moved out for college but often returned to their parents’ newly acquired home.

What It's Really Like for the First Kids Growing Up in the White House

All the initial children share a common trait: They’re striving to maintain personal lives amidst intense public scrutiny, relying on an informal ethical standard within the press community to keep their privacy somewhat intact in the whirlwind of media attention.

Chelsea Clinton tweeted in February 2017, emphasizing that Barron, the youngest son to reside at the White House since Jackie Kennedy established John F. Kennedy Jr.’s nursery in 1961, deserves the liberty, room, and privacy to simply be a child.

Indeed, just as Chelsea can attest from her own life experiences, growing up under intense public scrutiny due to her family’s prominence, so too do children living in the White House share similar insights. Here’s a glimpse into what it’s truly like for them:

What It's Really Like for the First Kids Growing Up in the White House

At the age of nearly thirteen, Chelsea Clinton resided in the White House alongside her mother and father – then First Lady Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton.

And what does any tween girl need to do ASAP? Decorate her room, of course!

Besides pictures of her loved ones and acquaintances, this ardent basketball enthusiast held dear a poster of Michael Jordan. In her own words to TopMob News (2021), she explained that she used “some extra sticky material” to hang it up, so as not to damage the walls with adhesive marks.

While residing at the White House, she often hosted sleepovers where friends would gather, resulting in pizza orders that created quite a stir with the secret service as mentioned to James Corden in 2019. Besides these fun-filled nights, she also attended ballet classes and participated in family dinners.

Chelsea, who is married to Mark Mezvinsky and shares daughter Charlotte and sons Aidan and Jasper with him, mentioned during the PEOPLE Every Day podcast in 2021 that her parents typically returned to work after dinner. However, she referred to this period as “sacred family time.

What It's Really Like for the First Kids Growing Up in the White House

Before her father completed his term, Chelsea had graduated from the private Sidwell Friends School in Bethesda, Maryland, and subsequently enrolled at Stanford University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in history. Later, she pursued advanced degrees, obtaining a Master of Philosophy from Oxford and a Master of Public Health from Columbia.

Chelsea often got asked, “Have you ever run away?” But she clarified on PEOPLE Every Day, “I didn’t run away because I understood their duty and didn’t want to complicate it for them or distress my parents in that way. The idea of running away never crossed my mind.

In 2016, on The Alli Simpson Show, Chelsea shared her reflections. She mentioned that her childhood seemed ordinary and normal to some, but she never forgot the extraordinary aspect of being part of history and how fortunate it was for her to be a part of the White House’s history and American history as well.

What It's Really Like for the First Kids Growing Up in the White House

They were familiar with the White House, as it was during their grandfather George H.W. Bush’s presidency from 1989 to 1993. However, President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura Bush, had their fraternal twin daughters, Barbara Bush and Jenna Bush, who were college students at the age of 19 when their parents moved into the White House.

But as first kids, they were still in the spotlight from afar.

In 2001, they were both charged with minor drinking offenses in the state of Texas. They each opted for a “no contest” plea and received sentences involving community service. This event generated numerous news headlines.

In their shared memoir, “Sisters First: Stories From Our Wild and Wonderful Life”, published in 2017, Jenna humorously expressed her preference for the cover of the New York Post. She found it more appealing as it featured a better photograph (a big thank you for that) and affectionately referred to her as ‘Jenna and Tonic’.

In essence, if they were forced to handle things alone, without professionals like a PR crisis manager or damage control specialists, they learned that their lives could continue even with imperfections, as put by Jenna.

What It's Really Like for the First Kids Growing Up in the White House

For the remainder of their academic journeys, Jenna completed her English degree at the University of Texas at Austin, and Barbara earned her B.A. in Humanities from Yale, all without any complications or unexpected events arising.

In their book, Jenna described them as persistent practical jokers, like the time Barbara feigned falling from a golf cart at Camp David to amuse themselves at their mother’s expense. However, it turned out that they only managed to startle the Secret Service agents.

Reflecting on the past, Jenna admitted to Andy Cohen during a 2020 episode of “Watch What Happens Live” that there was no roadmap or guidebook. Her father encouraged them to be regular college students, but soon realized that they couldn’t follow such a path.

The twins, having spent eight years as first daughters, developed a strong sense of guardianship towards their successors, Malia Obama and Sasha Obama. In a 2009 letter, Jenna and Barbara, themselves former first kids, offered advice to the newcomers, saying “Being part of this club isn’t always easy, but remember the genuine man your father is.

What It's Really Like for the First Kids Growing Up in the White House

In 2009, President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama’s daughters, Malia and Sasha (who were 10 and 7 years old respectively), along with Marian Robinson (Michelle’s mother), moved from Chicago to the White House. Interestingly, at that time, Sasha was the youngest first child to reside there since the Kennedys, including Caroline Kennedy who was 3 years old, and John F. Kennedy Jr., who was only 3 months old, had lived there.

And so the quest to both protect and prepare them—for life as first daughters and beyond—began.

Michelle shared on the Moments That Make Us podcast with Melinda French Gates in July 2024 that she had to nurture her children to become independent, self-reliant individuals, given their unique background as daughters of a former president. She emphasized that society is often quick to judge and criticize, especially when the child comes from a prominent family, so they need to present themselves with maturity and grace.

She went on to say that Malia and Sasha needed to master the art of handling unwanted attention graciously, while also creating their own lives under public scrutiny without being consumed by it. Essentially, they had to be quick thinkers, self-reliant, and self-assured from a young age, even though they grew up in a home surrounded by staff like butlers, maids, and florists. However, I was raising them with the understanding that they wouldn’t live there forever or with me forever. Therefore, I needed to prepare them to take charge of their lives soon.

What It's Really Like for the First Kids Growing Up in the White House

Inside those walls resided an ordinary-like family. It was only when they moved into the White House in 2016 that they began living together every day of the week. This arrangement allowed them to enjoy meals together, as well as for the president to coach the girls’ sports teams and attend all their events. The first lady shared this detail with People magazine in 2016.

But the kids, she added, were also “ready to get out, just out from their parents’ house.”

Both attended Sidwell Friends School, with Malia graduating in 2016 before the end of her dad’s second term. She took a gap year, then headed to Harvard in 2017. Sasha enrolled at University of Michigan in 2019 but transferred to USC, graduating in 2023.

2021 saw me, Malia Ann, graduate from college, but my journey didn’t stop there! I dived headfirst into the writers room of the captivating Amazon Prime series, Swarm. Fast forward to 2024, with my heart pounding and excitement brimming, I stepped behind the camera for my very first short film, The Heart. This piece of my soul was showcased at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival – a moment I’ll always cherish as an obsessed fan of cinema!

In an unusual public statement, Malia admitted that she had never participated in anything similar as she stepped out for her first red carpet appearance at the 50th annual Deauville American Film Festival held in France. She shared with Paris Match, “I was somewhat nervous yet mainly thrilled.

The 26-year-old mentioned casually that she was sporting a Vivienne Westwood outfit, expressing, “While I may not be an expert in fashion, I’m delighted to be a part of it.

What It's Really Like for the First Kids Growing Up in the White House

In January 2017, when President Donald Trump took up residence in the White House, his wife, Melania Trump, remained with their 11-year-old son, Barron Trump, at Trump Tower in Manhattan. This was to ensure that he completed the school year before they all moved together.

Over the next four years, Barron studied at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, MD privately. He also played soccer and grew to surpass both his parents’ height, reaching a reported 6-foot-7 by the time he celebrated his 18th birthday in March 2024.

Apart from sharing his father’s love for golf, as mentioned by his mother, Donald Trump praised his youngest son in 2015 for his exceptional skills with computers.

What It's Really Like for the First Kids Growing Up in the White House

Apart from making appearances at the Republican National Conventions in 2016 and 2020 to support his father, Barron had mostly stayed away from political events. He was unable to attend the 2024 RNC due to previous engagements, as stated by his mother. However, on July 9 in Doral, Florida, he attended his first Trump rally where he didn’t speak but waved and gave a thumbs-up to the audience instead.

Instead of following the family pattern, where his father, half-brothers Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump attended University of Pennsylvania, or Eric Trump went to Georgetown, Barron chose to enroll at New York University’s Stern School of Business in the fall of 2024.

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2024-11-05 20:19