A Mom Threw A Trump Themed Birthday Party For Her 4-Year-Old Son Tyner
He won't be old enough to vote for 14 years. Is a political-themed party appropriate?
Jonah Elkowitz | Shutterstock There are a lot of themes a four-year-old might want for their birthday. Superheroes, princesses, cartoon characters — the possibilities are endless.
Most kids probably wouldn't choose a party centered around a political figure, though. But for one four-year-old, that’s exactly what his mom had in mind. Lucky Tyner got a Donald Trump-themed party for his 4th trip around the Sun.
The mom threw a Donald Trump-themed birthday party for her 4-year-old son.
TikToker Chloe Avinson shared a short vlog featuring scenes from her son Tyner’s recent birthday party. The family went with an unconventional theme — Trump 2024. Or, really, "Tyner's Trump 202Fourth Birthday."
Party decorations included a cardboard cutout of Donald Trump, red, white, and blue balloons, side-by-side photos of the birthday boy and the former president, and a giant sign declaring the party's theme.
Lauren Cleveland, an attendee at the party, posted a series of TikToks from the event.
In one, she showed off the themed snacks that were served — “Kernels of Truth” popcorn, “'Rice' to the Occasion USA” rice krispy treats, “Red Wave punch,” “Chicken Salad, Not Your Cat” sandwiches, and “Freedom Chips.” The spread also included "Dems are fruity" fruit cups and "Don't Dip Vote 2024" dip.
Cleveland’s posts were set to the song “Make America Great Again” by Brian Kelley, a song that has become a rallying cry for Trump supporters, as well as “Red Kingdom,” the Kansas City Chiefs’ theme song. The GOP is, of course, represented by the color red.
Avinson, the party's host, also shared an “outfit of the day” video, in which she and her mom showed off their Trump shirts, “Make America Great Again” hats, and other patriotic paraphernalia. But don't fret; as shown in her vlog, the birthday boy had his own festive MAGA gear as well.
Many online critiqued the party's theme.
Cleveland, as a partygoer, clearly enjoyed the political theme. The videos and photo slideshows she shared also garnered many comments from people who admired the party.
Others online, however, were far less supportive.
In a video captioned “Justice for Tyner,” fellow TikTok user Marlo Collins offered her thoughts on the party, questioning if Tyner had been coerced, or even forced, into having a Trump-themed party against his will.
“All I can think is that the kid was like, ‘Mommy, I want to have a Spider-Man birthday party!’ And they’re like, ‘No! No, Tyner. We’re doing Trump-themed, and you’re going to love it,’” she said while laughing.
Similar sentiments pervaded the comments section of Collins’ video, though no one can deny the child's giant smile in photos taken in front of the Trump sign. Still, he's 4 years old — how much can he really comprehend about his party's theme and what it means?
Parents often pass their political beliefs on to their children.
Unsurprisingly, many parents pass their political views on to their children like they’re hereditary genes. Oftentimes, families share similar beliefs and values, which translate into political parties and ideologies.
A Pew Research Center study found that only 16% of parents felt that giving their children the same political views that they had was “very” or “extremely” important.
Yet, despite the low percentage of parents who found this to be important, many still do it, consciously or not. Another survey showed that a vast majority of teens agree with their parents’ political ideology.
Aaron of L.A. Photography | Shutterstock
“Roughly eight-in-ten parents who were Republican or leaned toward the Republican Party (81%) had teens who also identified as Republicans or leaned that way. And about nine-in-ten parents who were Democratic or leaned Democratic (89%) had teens who described themselves the same way,” Pew Research Center said.
Based on this information, it appears natural that a child would take on their parents’ political beliefs as their own. However, whether or not it is appropriate to push such things on them at such a young age is a different argument entirely.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.