She knows what it is to grow up in the spotlight, and now Chelsea Clinton has come to the defense of Barron Trump, the ten-year-old son of new President Donald Trump and his wife Melania. The 36-year-old tweeted a powerful message on Sunday, seemingly in response to online jokes made about Barron at Friday's inauguration, while simultaneously encouraging her followers to oppose certain policies from his father.
"Barron Trump deserves the chance every child does – to be a kid," she wrote, before adding: "Standing up for every kid also means opposing POTUS policies that hurt kids."
© Photo: TwitterChelsea Clinton has defended Barron Trump - while also encouraging the public to oppose certain policies by his father
Chelsea was 12 when her dad was elected president in 1993, and spent the next eight years living in the White House.
Everything you need to know about Barron Trump
Her post on Sunday proved particularly divisive amongst her followers; one social media user called her a "hypocrite" on her Facebook page, saying, "If you agree kids should not be targeted, fine. Leave it at that. Otherwise collect your $600k a year and go away."
© Photo: Getty ImagesBarron Trump is the only child of President Donald Trump and his wife Melania
But others were empathetic with the former First Daughter – a longtime friend of Ivanka Trump. "I remember your childhood in the White House. The media was sometimes very cruel," another wrote. "Children don't have a choice as to what their parents do. I hope he'll be allowed to just be a kid."
Ivanka, meanwhile, recently opened up about her unlikely friendship with Chelsea, and insisted the pair remain close despite their opposing politics.
© Photo: Getty ImagesIvanka Trump recently opened up about her unlikely friendship with former First Daughter Chelsea
During an interview with 20/20 last week, the 35-year-old explained: "She's been a friend of mine long before the campaign, and of course will be a friend of mine after. I haven't spoken about the specific challenges of this next chapter with her just yet, but I intend to."
Ivanka Trump and Chelsea Clinton: Their friendship and parallel lives
It echoes comments Ivanka made shortly before Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton kicked off their presidential campaigns. "We're both incredibly supportive of our parents, as we should be," she told People. "But we also continue to have great respect for one another."
