Melania Trump breaks her silence on claims that her son Barron has autism – and reveals how the incident inspired her as first lady

Melania Trump addresses claims her son Barron has autism for the first time in her new book.

The former first lady dismissed the rumors that arose after her husband Donald Trump was elected in 2016.

Barron was just 10 years old when one of the former president's biggest critics, comedian Rosie O'Donnell, sparked speculation that Barron might have the disease.

Melania said the “bullying” he endured afterward made it impossible to accept O'Donnell's eventual apology and accused her of acting out of “pure malice.”

But she also revealed how it inspired her to focus her child-focused Be Best initiative on child wellbeing and online bullying.

“Barron's experience of being bullied both online and in real life following the incident is a clear indication of the irreparable damage that was caused,” the New York Times reports she wrote in her memoir. “No apology can make up for the harm done to him.”

Melania took aim at O'Donnell, who has an autistic daughter, claiming she passed on the rumors to raise awareness of the condition.

“There is nothing shameful about autism (although O'Donnell's tweet suggested there was), but Barron is not autistic,” she writes, according to an excerpt from the Daily Beast.

She explained how O'Donnell had reposted a video in which he speculated that Barron's behavior could indicate that he had the disease.

“Someone had carefully compiled the footage and added captions such as: “His hands move erratically and do not touch. He was then seen making strange movements in his seat, typical of children with autism.”

She described the video as “devastating for parents” and accused O'Donnell of “pure malice.”

“I was horrified by this cruelty,” Melania continues. “It was clear to me that she had no interest in raising awareness of autism. “I felt like she was attacking my son because she didn't like my husband.”

The former first lady dismissed the rumors that arose after her husband Donald Trump won the election in 2016

Melania recalled how her son was bullied online and said the damage it caused made it impossible to accept an apology from comedian Rosie O'Donnell, who sparked the speculation

Melania Trump addresses the situation in her new memoir, “Melania.”

Trump and O'Donnell have been in a long-running feud, with the former president joking about derogatory comments made about the television producer by former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly in the first Republican debate was challenged by his misogyny.

“They called women fat pigs, dogs, sluts, disgusting animals,” Kelly said, before Trump intervened and said, “Just Rosie O'Donnell.”

She also describes her surprise at this “I encountered resistance from tech executives” from social media companies and other online giants when she met with their executives at the White House in March 2018 to discuss child safety.

One of the biggest revelations from the memoir is Melania's endorsement of abortion rights, which is a stark contrast to her husband's.

“A woman’s fundamental right to individual freedom and her own life gives her the power to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes,” she writes.

“Restricting a woman’s right to decide whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body.”

However, she appears to hold similar views to her husband on most other issues, including comments about the validity of the 2020 election results.

“You can’t keep counting votes for days, which is what they did,” she writes, seeming to explain her lack of condemnation of the storming of the Capitol on January 6th.

Melania Trump has protected Barron in the past and accused O'Donnell of acting out of “pure malice.”

She shared how the incident inspired her to focus her child-centered Be Best initiative on child welfare and online bullying

O'Donnell fueled speculation by reposting and commenting on a video of Barron analyzing the way he moves his body as evidence that he has the disease

“It was chaos. Many Americans still have doubts about the election today. “I’m not the only one questioning the results.”

Melania also addresses the 2018 firestorm that accompanied her decision to wear a jacket that read, “I really don't care, do I?” while visiting migrant children in Texas.

The fashion faux pas came at a time when her husband's administration was overseeing policies at the southern border that led to the separation of thousands of families

The former first lady blames then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions for the policy and claims she personally pushed her husband to reverse it.

“The government shouldn’t take their children away from their parents,” he remembers. “This has to stop.”

The decision to wear the jacket is presented as a swipe at the media's “distorted narratives” and is unrelated to the visit.

Her defense of her husband even extends to her portrayal of their marriage, which notably glosses over several scandals during the campaign and in office.

These include his infamous boast about being able to grab women by the genitals, which was caught on tape and released in 2016, as well as allegations that he paid hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels.

O'Donnell, who has a daughter with autism, said she reposted the video to raise awareness of the condition

Melania also addresses the 2018 firestorm that accompanied her decision to wear a jacket that read, “I really don't care, do I?” while visiting migrant children in Texas

Instead, Melania paints a picture of a united front in which the two share their love for Elton John and write letters to the British King Charles.

The former first lady also reports that her husband had a front row seat to some of the most significant moments in history, such as when he was invited to witness a military raid on ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.