There’s a sharp disconnect between Donald Trump’s recent scolding of American parents for buying their kids “too many dolls” and the childhood on of his own sons once enjoyed.
As families face steep price hikes on toys due to Trump’s 145-percent tariff on Chinese imports, footage of a young Barron Trump’s extravagant toy collection has resurfaced—offering an ironic contrast to the former president’s rhetoric.
The tariffs, part of Trump’s renewed push against Chinese manufacturing, have hit the toy industry especially hard. Companies like Mattel, the maker of Barbie, have already raised prices, warning that some toys may not even make it to shelves by the holidays.
“I don’t think that a beautiful baby girl — that’s 11 years old — needs to have 30 dolls. I think they can have three dolls or four dolls,” Trump said in a recent interview on “Meet the Press.”
man that abc interview with trump was pretty crazy, some real jdpon don shit in there. he's putting the little treatlers against the wall! you'll have your two dolls and like them, 11 year old girls! no more closets full of dolls! three at most! and FIVE PENCILS. pic.twitter.com/RuJzU4Q9hl
— 𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕟 𓂆 (@ElenP79608464) May 6, 2025
He added, “What we were doing with China was just unbelievable. We had a trade deficit of hundreds of billions of dollars with China,” to justify his tariffs and curb the concerns of parents and their little girls.
Toys, Toys, Toys
The comments struck a nerve with many — especially when compared to Barron Trump’s childhood. In 2010, a segment from “Entertainment Tonight” toured a full floor of the Trump family’s three-story Manhattan penthouse dedicated entirely to Barron’s toys.
just some of barron trump’s toys… including a mini mercedes convertible https://t.co/CsJ8Lp1woy pic.twitter.com/SBxVfstG0o
— Marlow Stern (@MarlowNYC) May 5, 2025
The plush setup featured life-size stuffed animals, a rocking lion, a Louis Vuitton suitcase reportedly worth nearly $10,000, and a miniature electric Mercedes-Benz complete with a personalized license plate.
Since his initial remarks, Trump has upped the number of “unnecessary” dolls from 30 to 37.
“A young lady — 10-year-old girl, 9-year-old girl, 15-year-old girl — doesn’t need 37 dolls,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One. “She could be very happy with two or three or five.”
Adding another layer to the controversy, footage has resurfaced of a little girl at a Trump campaign event in Michigan last September asking the former president to make her favorite toys more affordable.
September 27, 2024. pic.twitter.com/hnbLkaFblU
— Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) May 7, 2025
In an exchange captured by MSNBC, a reporter asked two young girls in “Trump 2024” and MAGA gear what they hoped he would do if reelected. “I want him to lower prices and lower the taxes,” one replied. Her friend chimed in: “Make Barbies cheaper and Polly Pockets. All my favorite toys are so expensive.”
Rather than address these concerns directly, Trump’s team has largely dismissed the impact of tariffs on working families.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested the short-term pain is worth it, telling reporters this week, “Thanks to President Trump, you and your family can now be confident again that you will have a better life than your parents. Working-class Americans had abandoned that idea.”
White House senior adviser Stephen Miller backed Trump’s remarks, saying Americans would prefer to pay more for better-quality, American-made goods.
“If they had a choice… between a doll from China that might have, say, lead paint in it… and a doll made in America that has a higher regulatory standard, yes, you probably would be willing to pay more,” Miller said.
Critics weren’t convinced. Sen. Bernie Sanders called Trump’s take “incredible arrogance and ignorance.” The Vermont independent added, “Billionaires like Trump don’t have a clue about what it means for a working-class family trying to buy presents for the kids.”
Even former Vice President Mike Pence pushed back, telling CNN, “I have two grown daughters, I have three small granddaughters. And look, keeping dolls affordable — that really is part of the American dream.”
Most of the big American toy companies have their products manufactured outside of the country.
The tariffs have made at least one company, MGA, which produces BRATZ dolls, figure out a new system to switch 40 percent of its production from China to India, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz confirmed the company is raising prices to offset tariff costs, but emphasized that affordability remains a priority.
“Forty percent to fifty percent of our product will be priced at $20 or less,” he said.
As the holiday season approaches, many parents are left to reconcile Trump’s criticism of excess with the reality that their kids’ favorite toys are now luxury items.
And for one little girl in a red MAGA hat — who just wanted cheaper Barbies — the contradiction speaks volumes.
