Former NBC executive Mike Sington sparked outrage this week after he declared that Barron Trump, the youngest son of former President Donald Trump, was now “fair game” on his 18th birthday. The retired NBCUniversal senior executive, who is known for his liberal social media posts, received intense backlash for his insensitive and distasteful comment.
On Wednesday, Sington commemorated Barron’s birthday with a bizarre post on X, featuring an image of the 18-year-old with his father. “Barron Trump turns 18 today. He’s fair game now,” Sington wrote, casually brushing off any regard for the privacy and well-being of the former president’s son.
Mike Sington, a senior executive at NBC who describes himself as Hollywood’s ultimate insider just deleted this tweet.
Disgusting.@MikeSington pic.twitter.com/Ah3mBxHHSJ
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 20, 2024
The statement was met with immediate backlash, as critics expressed disgust and disappointment in Sington’s targeting of Barron, who has largely stayed out of the spotlight during and after his father’s presidency. Even though Sington deleted the post and attempted to backtrack, he stopped short of apologizing for his tasteless comment.
This is from @MikeSington, an executive at NBC Universal. He deleted it shortly after but know this, this is what your media thinks, it is how they work. These are the kind of people you are supposed to trust with telling you the truth. Nice work @NBCUniversal. pic.twitter.com/9fn7qVd2Td
— Carmine Sabia (@CarmineSabia) March 20, 2024
The retired NBC executive explained, “I posted he was ‘fair game’ now, meaning, as an adult, he’s ‘fair game’ for criticism from the press. Someone pointed out to me ‘fair game’ could mean fair game to be harmed. I don’t wish physical harm on anyone, so I took it down. I listen to the comments and criticism I receive.”
While Sington may claim to listen to criticism, his initial statement is indicative of the blatant disregard for decency and basic human compassion that we have come to expect from liberal elites like him.
But Sington is not the first, and unfortunately, will likely not be the last, to attack Barron Trump for no reason other than his last name. During the 2019 impeachment hearings, Stanford Law Professor Pamela Karlan thought it appropriate to joke at the 13-year-old’s expense, insinuating that his name was somehow tied to his father’s actions.
In 2018, actor Peter Fonda disgustingly suggested that Barron be taken from his mother and placed in a cage with pedophiles. And in 2017, “Saturday Night Live” writer Katie Rich was suspended for saying on Twitter that Barron would be a future “homeschool shooter.”
In all of these instances, the individuals involved have issued apologies for their offensive and inappropriate comments. But apologies cannot erase the harm that has already been done, and they should not excuse such despicable behavior.
It is unacceptable that Barron Trump, or any child for that matter, should be subjected to public ridicule and attacks because of their parents’ political views. As Americans, we should be able to disagree on policies and politicians without resorting to attacking innocent children.
Thankfully, Barron Trump has shown incredible strength and resilience in the face of these unwarranted attacks. We can only hope that those in the public eye, like Sington, will start to think twice before targeting children for their own political gain.
