Barron Trump is barely out of his teens, yet the business pages are already circling like it’s earnings season at Trump Tower.
The Trump family has made money-making an Olympic sport, proving they could sell ice to an Eskimo.
Their last name is a brand in itself, and their ventures range from glitzy towers and overpriced golf courses to deals that seem designed for bathroom stalls. They’ve mastered the mix of branding and schmoozing, and now the youngest heir to the Trump family is following suit.
Donald and Melania’s 19-year-old son is listed as a director of Sollos Yerba Mate Inc., a lifestyle beverage startup planning to sell a caffeinated herbal tea popular in South America.
Barron is currently a student at NYU, and the rollout of the company he launched with three friends has some calling it as shady as his father‘s selling golden smartphones and other devices that consumers have yet to receive since its debut in August 2025.
According to the Daily Beast, the company is registered near his mother, Melania Trump, who resides primarily at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
However, Yerba is registered at a separate residence, a $16 million Palm Beach mansion owned by Jay Weitzman, a longtime friend and political donor to Trump’s campaigns.
Weitzman has denied any involvement, and a spokesperson for the beverage company alleged he has “zero association with the business.”
Still, the address details were mysterious enough to ignite online chatter on Facebook, with social media users wondering, “Did he drop out of college?”
Barron transferred to NYU’s D.C. campus and moved back to the White House after spending his freshman year in New York while living at Trump Towers. With his mother, primarily in Florida, it’s unclear how much time they will spend under the same roof.
“That’s as far as Mom will let him go from home or where she is,” said one person, who believes she’s always at Barron’s side.
Another comment read, “You can see the magat scam artist … on its face,” launching a wave of harsher reactions about the entire family.
“The greed of these people is insatiable…..the entire tribe [is] mendacious vulgarian,” said one repulsed individual.
One brutal commentator posted, “Barron is as abhorrent as his grifter parents.”
Beyond the noise, the venture itself appears structured like many startup launches. Barron is listed alongside Spencer Bernstein — Weitzman’s grandson — and others including Rodolfo Castillo, Stephen Hall, and Valentino Gomez.
Bernstein and Hall reportedly attended Oxbridge Academy with Barron. The group is said to have raised $1 million in January and hopes to launch publicly in spring 2026.
Yet ethics experts quoted in coverage of the filing questioned the optics.
Norm Eisen, co-founder of Democracy Defenders Fund, said the arrangement “opens yet another potential avenue of seeking to influence the president through his family’s assorted business schemes.”
Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette of the Project on Government Oversight described the connections as “fishy from the standpoint of government ethics and conflicts of interest,” noting the appearance concerns that can arise when donors and federal contractors intersect with family enterprises.
There are no allegations of wrongdoing against Weitzman, who has said neither he nor his family has profited from their relationship with Trump.
Critics also point to the Trump Organization’s recent product rollouts, including the gold-toned T1 smartphone promoted through Trump Mobile, gold sequin jerseys, sneakers, gold chocolate bars, Trump-branded stud earrings, and even a $180 Mar-a-Lago Pickleball Paddle in four colors (black, blue, gold, and white), mostly available on the Trump store.
Melania Trump, who has long worked to keep her son shielded from political crossfire, added a revealing note to the broader narrative.
She has acknowledged that Barron is focused on “developing properties, making money, and being involved in successful projects,” signaling that his business ambitions are not accidental but encouraged. That subtle admission reframes the dynamic at home: Barron may be stepping forward not in defiance of parental guardrails, but with quiet approval.
For supporters, Sollos Yerba Mate is simply a young entrepreneur’s first major swing. For detractors, the Palm Beach address and familiar network feel like déjà vu.
Either way, Barron Trump’s name is no longer just a headline accessory — it’s a brand in motion, and critics are watching every filing.
