Interspersed with photos of 11-year-old Barron in a T-shirt and shorts as he tags along with his parents, Springer scolds, “Think about how many times your parents forced you to dress up when you were a kid for a special occasion. No matter how hard you resisted, it was inevitable, you weren’t leaving the house until you had your tie tied, your shirt tucked in nice and neat with your hair combed, and a blazer on.”

Which is precisely the point: For Barron Trump, 11, these occasions in which he appears in public aren’t special. They are his life; he’s 11.

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It’s funny how the Daily Caller appears to hold the president of the United States to a higher sartorial standard than an 11-year-old boy: “Donald Trump and Melania always depart the White House looking their best. The president wore a fine tailored suit and Melania wore an elegant dress just as jaw-dropping as the last. But then Barron steps out in a t-shirt, khaki shorts and some suede loafers,” writes Springer.

There’ll be no more line-by-line repudiations of the Springer piece regarding a boy in his 12th year. It’s too easy, and what did Springer wear as an 11-year-old, anyhow?

Slamming an 11-year-old for wearing season-appropriate clothing aligns with a previous incident in Daily Caller history. In June 2012, a Daily Caller reporter interrupted an address by President Barack Obama with questions, drawing a backlash from longtime Beltway reporters who argued that the president should be able to finish his speech. “Everyone’s defying precedent today, it seems,” tweeted a Daily Caller staffer at the time.

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There’s also a mound of precedent surrounding the coverage of minor children of sitting U.S. presidents. When news organizations, for instance, published stories in 2012 about the vacation plans of Malia Obama — who was heading to spring break in Mexico with 12 friends and 25 Secret Service agents — the White House cried foul. Many of the stories were scrubbed from news sites. “From the beginning of the administration, the White House has asked news outlets not to report on or photograph the Obama children when they are not with their parents and there is no vital news interest,” Kristina Schake, communications director to the first lady, said in a statement at the time. “We have reminded outlets of this request in order to protect the privacy and security of these girls.”

Look how far the Daily Caller strayed from this standard: Not only did it thrust Barron Trump into the news when events didn’t warrant; it did so in a judgmental piece that went straight after him.

Though President Trump vowed to do away with all manner of Beltway conventions, there’s a through line when it comes to respecting the right of an 11-year-old kid to live as an 11-year-old kid. “As with all past administrations we ask that the media give Barron his privacy. He is a minor child and deserves every opportunity to have a private childhood,” writes Stephanie Grisham, communications director for first lady Melania Trump.