Times Donald Trump's Kids Seemed To Go Against Him
Donald Trump's decision to seek the Republican presidential nomination once again in 2024 has likely sparked an outpouring of bold opinions. "I am running because I believe the world has not yet seen the true glory of what this nation can be," the former U.S. president told the audience during his polarizing announcement, per CNBC. You might be shocked to hear that only Eric Trump and Barron Trump were present to support their father as he made the announcement. Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. decided to stay home, per The Independent. The Trump Organization founder's kids have been known to defend their father even in his most controversial moments, so why weren't they there to back their father on such a big day? It turns out that they might not be thrilled about his decision to run for president again.
This isn't the first time Donald's kids have disagreed with him. In fact, Ivanka once helped her husband, Jared Kushner, raise money for New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker, who went on to become a Democratic 2020 presidential candidate against her dad. They were allegedly able to bring in $40,000 to aid Booker's 2013 Senate campaign.
But Ivanka isn't the only Trump kid who has been bold enough to take actions Donald might not approve of. Here are a few times they went against their dad.
Ivanka Trump disagrees with her dad behind closed doors
Ivanka Trump has a history of remaining quiet when the public urges her to speak out against Donald Trump, but in an interview with CBS News in 2017, the mother of three revealed that she and her father aren't always on the same page. "I would say not to conflate lack of public denouncement with silence," Ivanka said. "I think there are multiple ways to have your voice heard. ... So where I disagree with my father, he knows it, and I express myself with total candor." It sounds like most of Ivanka and Donald's disagreements take place behind closed doors.
Regardless of the fact that the former senior advisor calls her father out in private, she has been criticized for her lack of public action against the former president. According to Fortune, protestors held an event outside of Ivanka's home after Donald signed an order that reversed previously implemented policies that tackled climate change. Protestors shared they were frustrated that Ivanka had previously supported such causes but didn't call out her father's decision. Firas Nasr, who worked for one of the organizations that planned the protest, told Fortune: "If she does support us, she needs to speak out for us while we are under attack."
Ivanka Trump doesn't think the election was stolen
Ivanka Trump's opinion on the infamous January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and claims of election fraud differs from that of her father, Donald Trump, and you might recall that the former U.S. president wasn't happy about this. To recap, Ivanka and Attorney General William Barr were asked about whether or not they doubted the legitimacy of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results. Videos of both Ivanka and Barr's depositions were played in front of the U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 attack. "I made it clear I did not agree with the idea of saying the election was stolen and putting out this stuff, which I told the president was bulls**t," Barr said in his video, per PBS News Hour. "And I didn't want to be a part of it."
Ivanka was then asked what she thought about the attorney general's statement. "I respect Attorney General Barr," she responded, per CNN. "So, I accepted what he was saying." Donald later took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to share his opinion on his daughter's statement. "Ivanka Trump was not involved in looking at, or studying, Election results," the former U.S. president wrote (via The New York Times). "She had long since checked out and was, in my opinion, only trying to be respectful to Bill Barr and his position as Attorney General (he sucked!)."
Trump's kids didn't stand behind his response to the Capitol attack
Neither Ivanka Trump nor her brothers were quick to support Donald Trump's handling of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. According to The Independent, filmmaker Alex Holder asked Ivanka, Eric Trump, and Donald Trump Jr. for their opinion on the Capitol attack in his docuseries, "Unprecedented." This series follows the Trump family throughout the 2020 U.S. presidential election and the subsequent claims of election fraud, according to the Los Angeles Times. In the movie, Ivanka, Eric, and Trump Jr. all refused to talk about January 6. "Yeah, let's skip the 6th," Eric even said (via The Independent).
However, Donald shared a lengthy statement that his kids could have defended — yet it seems they refused to. "A very small portion, as you know, went down to the Capitol and then a very small portion of them went in," the former U.S. president said in "Unprecedented" (via The Independent). "But I will tell you, they were angry from the standpoint of what happened in the election and because they're smart and they see and they saw what happened. And I believe that was a big part of what happened on January 6." While Donald's kids stayed quiet in this docuseries, Trump Jr. later took to Twitter to suggest that he wasn't a fan of how the January 6 committee handled their investigation.
Donald Trump Jr. wasn't on board with one of his father's presidential decisions
Donald Trump Jr. has come to his father's defense on many occasions. Some might say that the loyal son is Donald Trump's biggest supporter out of all of his kids. Still, even the former U.S. president's most vocal cheerleader has disagreed with him at times. In 2020, Trump Jr. took to Twitter to reveal that he wasn't on board with the effects of the reversal of an Obama-era decision that blocked the development of an Alaskan mineral mine. According to Politico, this mine could have harmed wildlife in the area and would have damaged the environment.
Trump Jr. tweeted out in agreement with Nick Ayers, who previously worked under former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and urged Trump to block the development of the Alaskan mine. "As a sportsman who has spent plenty of time in the area I agree 100%," Trump Jr. wrote. "The headwaters of Bristol Bay and the surrounding fishery are too unique and fragile to take any chances with. #PebbleMine." Luckily for the former U.S. president's son, it seems that his tweet had an impact, because the Trump administration ultimately blocked the development of the mine.
Eric Trump isn't a fan of vaccines, unlike his father
It seems that Donald Trump and his son Eric Trump could never quite get on the same page in regard to COVID-19 vaccines. Donald shared his opinion on the vaccines during an appearance on conservative political commentator Candace Owens' "Candace" show. "The vaccine is one of the greatest achievements of mankind," the former U.S. president told Owens. When Owens questioned the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine, Donald responded, "The ones that get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don't take the vaccine. But it's still their choice. And if you take the vaccine, you're protected. Look, the results of the vaccine are very good, and if you do get it, it's a very minor form. People aren't dying when they take the vaccine."
This statement may have rubbed Eric the wrong way, because he shared a very different opinion during his own interview with Owens for "The Daily Wire." "To me the vaccine actually represents something that's much greater than a medical shot," he revealed. "To me, the vaccine represents literally the stripping of freedoms in this country, which is deeply, deeply, deeply troubling." So, whose side is Owens on? Some might say that she's made it clear that she is against the COVID-19 vaccine, so it seems that she may favor Eric's opinion.
Donald Trump Jr. reportedly tried to stage an intervention to stop his dad
You might recall when Donald Trump contracted COVID-19 during his presidency. He was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment, and a decision he made there received mixed reactions. Donald took a car ride around the hospital to greet onlookers before he was fully recovered, and Secret Service members accompanied him. James Phillips, assistant professor of emergency medicine at The George Washington University's medical school, took to Twitter (via Reuters) the criticize the car ride. "Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential 'drive-by' just now has to be quarantined for 14 days," Phillips wrote. "They might get sick. They may die. For political theater."
It turns out even Donald's own kids may have been alarmed by his joy ride around the hospital. According to Vanity Fair, anonymous sources claimed that Donald Trump Jr. was particularly concerned. "Don Jr. has said he wants to stage an intervention, but Jared and Ivanka keep telling Trump how great he's doing," one source alleged. They also claimed the eldest Trump child didn't want to be the only one to talk to his father. "Don said, 'I'm not going to be the only one to tell him he's acting crazy.'" Another source who reportedly knows the family claimed that Donald's kids were also worried about a lengthy Twitter rant he shared in the days after he was driven around the hospital.
Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. didn't attend their father's campaign announcement
As previously mentioned, only Eric Trump and Barron Trump were present during Donald Trump's campaign announcement. Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. were nowhere to be found, and it seems this may be a sign of how they feel about their father's decision to seek a presidential nomination in 2024. In fact, Ivanka came forward to announce she wants nothing to do with politics. She shared a statement explaining why she made the decision: "I love my father very much," Ivanka said. "This time around I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family. I do not plan to be involved in politics." She went on to share that she still supports her father, but prefers to do so outside of the world of politics. This hands-off approach to her father's campaign is new for Ivanka, considering she was once his adviser.
Reports alleged that Donald begged Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, to attend his campaign announcement. If true, it looks like his efforts fell short (though Kushner was present). As for Trump Jr., according to The Daily Beast, he was on a hunting trip and couldn't catch a flight back in time due to dangerous weather conditions. Luckily for Donald, it looks like his son might still be on board with his campaign. We'll have to wait and see if Trump Jr. will address his absence.