What Donald Trump Jr.'s Experience In College Was Really Like
Donald Trump Jr. takes after his father, Donald Trump, regarding his relationship with the truth. So, what Donald Jr.'s college experience was really like depends on whose narrative you choose to believe. For instance, in a "Fox & Friends" interview, Donald Jr.'s account of his school days was questionable, to say the least. He claimed that he and Eric Trump were just like regular folk. "Eric and I went to boarding school in central Pennsylvania," Donald Jr. said. "We went through our formative years in the Rust Belt. So while we may be the sons of a New York billionaire, we grew up in Pottstown, Pennsylvania."
Fact check: Donald Jr. and Eric did go to school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, but that's as far as their Rust Belt credentials stretch. They attended the prestigious Hill School, where tuition fees are $72,390 annually, not exactly within the standard Rust Belt resident's budget. So, let's face it: Donald Jr. doesn't have the most reliable track record on honesty, and it'll take a lot of sifting through conflicting claims to ascertain what Donald Trump Jr.'s experience in college was really like.
Hard partying Penn bro
Despite taking Donald Trump's name, Donald Trump Jr. has always had a fractured relationship with his father. In her book "Raising Trump," Ivana Trump claimed her husband hadn't wanted to bequeath his name to his firstborn. "You can't do that!" he reportedly insisted. "What if he's a loser?" So, when he followed in his father's footsteps and headed off to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Donald Jr. felt he had much to prove and wanted to do so on his own terms.
"He wasn't quick to volunteer his name or put it out there who he was or try to use that to his advantage," a college pal told GQ. "I remember thinking that if he used his name more, he probably could've gotten more girls." Still, by all accounts, getting girls wasn't an issue for the hard-partying frat bro, who soon earned a rep for boozing and womanizing. "Everyone was warned to stay away from Donnie Trump," a source told People.
In addition to his carousing, Donald Jr. became notorious for his arrogant, angry outbursts. He was open about his penchant for hitting the bottle. "I used to drink a lot and party pretty hard, and it wasn't something that I was particularly good at," he admitted in a 2004 interview with New York, sharing that he'd quit drinking alcohol two years prior.
Donald dramas
Former Penn pals mainly remember Donald Trump Jr. hitting the bottle hard. "Donald Jr. was a drunk in college," Scott Melker wrote on Facebook, according to Complex. "Every memory I have of him is of him stumbling around on campus, falling over or passing out in public, with his arm in a sling from injuring himself while drinking."
Melker claimed that Donald Jr. loathed his famous father, and the feeling was mutual. He alleged Donald Trump once struck his son so hard that he knocked him out in front of all his classmates. Donald Jr.'s transgression? Wearing a Yankees shirt to attend one of their games. Melker also shared that Donald Jr. was nicknamed "Diaper Don" due to his habit of falling asleep drunk and wetting the bed.
Meanwhile, Donald's relationship with his firstborn didn't improve after Donald Jr. graduated in 2000. According to The Atlantic, he detested his son's big game hunting bloodlust. Still, once Donald threw his hat into the presidential ring, he recognized it was beneficial to play up Donald Jr.'s love of shooting animals to win NRA votes. "You can finally do something for me," a former aide alleges Donald told him. However, Donald Jr. fell from his fickle father's favor once again after his controversial Trump Tower meeting with a Russian contingent to dig up dirt on Hillary Clinton. "He was resigned to his son's idiocy," a White House insider said, claiming Donald remarked, "He's not the sharpest knife in the drawer."