Melania Trump to sue James Hunter for posting video suggesting son Barron is autistic

Melania Trump is fuming after a video suggesting her 10-year-old son, Barron Trump, is autistic, emerged on YouTube.

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US elections 2016
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump vote at PS 59 in New York, New York, U.S. November 8, 2016 Reuters

Melania Trump is fuming after a video suggesting her 10-year-old son Barron Trump is autistic emerged on YouTube. "Donald Trump's youngest son Barron Trump might be autistic, and it's time for people to stop bullying him for his 'strange' behavior. Let's follow Melania Trump and #StopTheBullying," the video description reads.

The seven-minute video highlights many of Barron's mannerisms captured on camera to prove that he may be autistic. The video also stated that his hands are moving erratically and don't touch each other while clapping. The video posted on November 11 has more than 1.2 million views.

Melania has threatened to sue James Hunter, who posted the video, and has even hired leading lawyer Charles Harder to work on the lawsuit. Following this, Hunter has agreed to delete the video from the site.

Comedian Rosie O'Donnell was one of the first to share the video on her social page. She even posted a poem on her website after getting slammed for sharing the video. She was highly condemned by social media users for unnecessarily putting Baron in the spotlight.

When TMZ got in touch with Hunter, he said that Melania is threatening with a lawsuit and is demanding a public apology. He also stated that he is absolutely terrified right now. Interestingly, Hunter was also diagnosed with autism at age five. He further added that he truly believes that Barron is on the autism spectrum and he posted the video to stop people from bullying him. Hunter wants to explain to people that his 'weird behavior' is due to his condition.

Lastly, Hunter concluded that if the rumours about the legal threat are true, he would definitely delete the video as he has great respect for Melania and her family.

Melania's attorney, Harder, in a statement, confirmed that he is representing the First Lady-elect and her 10-year-old son, Barron Trump. Though the video has the hashtag 'StopTheBullying', the video itself is bullying by churning out false statements, he added. Harder also said that the online bullying of children should end and speculating about a 10-year-old boy's condition is harassment.

President Trump is yet to comment on the issue.

This article was first published on November 29, 2016
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