The Shady Side Of Eric Trump
Critics of the Trump family will be quick to accuse them of adhering to "do as I say, not as I do," professing outrage at adversaries for alleged wrongdoings while brushing off their own rumored transgressions. Eric Trump is a prime example. He's like a dog with a bone when attacking Hunter Biden and his foreign business deals, yet he's far from squeaky clean himself.
Donald Trump's third born is often overlooked in favor of his siblings' scandalous shenanigans. Donald Trump Jr.'s bombastic, bizarre behavior ensures that he hogs the headlines, and the shady side of Ivanka Trump is well documented. However, their little bro definitely has his moments. Eric's obsession with President Joe Biden's son is impossible to ignore. During a 2019 Minneapolis rally, he embarked on a scathing attack against Hunter. "How do you think he's feeling right now?" Eric asked. "After embezzling a lot of money, taking a lot of money, the crookedness." The onslaught prompted "Lock him up!" chants. "Maybe 'lock her' goes to 'lock him up!'" Eric opined, presumably hoping a pronoun change would make things work out better than they did for Trump supporters' demands to arrest Hillary Clinton.
The Trumps' fixation on Hunter's overseas deals raised questions about their own dabblings, but Eric was quick to insist there's no comparison. "When my father became president, our family stopped doing international business deals," he told The New York Times. Fact check: The Times notes Donald Jr. and Eric continued running and promoting The Trump Organization overseas during Donald's tenure. Still, that merely scratches the surface of Eric's shady side.
Shady Scottish squabbles
Eric Trump's shady side was on full display when he went on the attack against the call for an investigation into the family's dealings regarding the purchase of their Scottish Aberdeenshire and Turnberry golf resorts. In February 2021, Parliamentarian Patrick Harvie petitioned the country's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, to pursue an unexplained wealth order (UWO), forcing the Trumps to detail the source of their finances. He cited concerns over foreign companies' money laundering activities.
"The Scottish Government has tried to avoid the question of investigating Donald Trump's wealth for far too long," he told The Scotsman. "There are serious concerns about how he financed the cash purchases of his Scottish golf courses, but no investigation has ever taken place." Meanwhile, Nick Flynn, Avaaz's legal director, claimed Sturgeon had steered clear of concerns over Donald's Turnberry acquisition for two years. Reuters reported that Eric, executive vice president of The Trump Organization, immediately hit back hard. "Patrick Harvie is nothing more than a national embarrassment with his pathetic antics that only serve himself and his political agenda," he said.
Per The Telegraph, Sturgeon claimed she was "no defender" of Donald but insisted she had to closely examine the evidence before making a decision. Ultimately, despite Scottish justice minister Humza Yousaf labeling Donald a "deplorable individual," the call for an investigation was shot down by parliament after the motion was defeated by 89 votes to 32.
Eric Trump has been accused of being a charity grifter
Eric Trump apparently takes the claim that charity begins at home very seriously. According to Forbes, in a 2017 YouTube video that's since been set to private, Eric waxed lyrical about his self-professed dedication to helping kids battle cancer while promoting a 2014 golf invitational. "It's really kind of the pinnacle for the Eric Trump Foundation," he announced. "We just raised an inordinate amount of money, and it all obviously goes to the children of St. Jude."
But not so fast. According to the outlet, although the event raised a whopping $1.8 million, it didn't all go to the Memphis-based pediatric research hospital. $240,000 was allocated to cover expenses, and over $200,000 was gifted to other random organizations, none of which were linked to St. Jude. All had affiliations with the Trump family. For instance, $10,000 was donated to a non-profit that honored Eric at its annual gala.
Newsweek reported that a commenter on X (formerly known as Twitter) questioned Eric's integrity and slammed him for stealing from kids with cancer. Not surprisingly, he went on the defensive with a highly questionable claim. "By the age of 30, I raised 25 million dollars (at a 9.2% cumulative expense ratio) and built the most state-of-the-art Intensive Care Unit and Surgery Center dedicated to children on earth," Eric insisted. He went on to add, "Don't ever attack philanthropy, especially when you have probably done s*** in your life."
Eric Trump has been accused of shady communications
Seemingly following in the footsteps of Omar Little from "The Wire," Donald Trump's third born allegedly turned to burner phones to communicate with January 6 insurrectionists. According to Rolling Stone, days before the riots, "March for Trump" head honcho Kylie Kremer ordered a foot soldier to pick up three burners to facilitate hard-to-trace "high-level" communications with the inner Trump circle. A source who worked for the organization that helped plot the Ellipse rally claimed Kremer insisted the phones be purchased for cash. She allegedly used them to communicate with top Trump administration stars, including Eric and his wife, Lara Trump.
The explosive Rolling Stone article seemingly avoided Eric's wrath, but when Palmer Report claimed on X (formerly known as Twitter) that Eric and Lara "reportedly used burner phones to communicate with January 6th organizers, meaning didn't want the planning to be traced back to them, something you do in a criminal plot," he struck. And, never one to miss a Hunter Biden attack opportunity, Eric went for a political twofer.
"Well, here is one outlet I can sue for defamation. This will be fun. I'm an incredibly honest, clean guy — unlike Hunter, no drugs, healthy lifestyle, not the 'burner phone' type... Tweet saved," he sniped.
Some might question Eric's defense of his mother's burial
After Ivana Trump died in July 2022, she was buried at the New Jersey Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. It was viewed as a decidedly odd burial site, given the competitive skier wasn't exactly a golf aficionado or a lover of New Jersey. Tax researcher Brooke Harrington theorized that Donald Trump laid Ivana to rest in "that sad little plot of dirt" to save serious bank. "I checked the NJ tax code & folks...it's a trifecta of tax avoidance. Property, income & sales tax, all eliminated," she tweeted.
Whatever the reason, Eric Trump was unsurprisingly totally there for it. When Republican politician Kari Lake asked him if his dad was supportive after his mom's death, Eric didn't skip a beat. "I will say so much so that you know we have a family funeral plot in New Jersey, and he was the one to say, you know, 'I want her with us' ... It was pretty amazing again, you know, kind of a wife long removed — ex-wife long removed. He's an incredible man. He's got a heart of gold," he claimed (via OK).
The Daily Mail published photos of the graveside in August 2023, showing that Ivana's final resting place had become so unkempt and overgrown with weeds that her headstone was left pretty much invisible.
Conway crusader
Kellyanne Conway isn't exactly known for being a shrinking violet. Still, Eric Trump felt the overwhelming desire to come to her defense — and score a point or two for his father simultaneously — in December 2018. Eric leapt into action over Kellyanne's husband's attacks on 45. George Conway is a long-time Trump detractor, regularly posting scathing takedowns and publicly slamming the former POTUS. Bizarrely, Eric deemed George's anti-Trump stance as being disrespectful of his own wife.
"Of all the ugliness in politics, the utter disrespect George Conway shows toward his wife, her career, place of work, and everything she has fought SO hard to achieve might top them all. @KellyannePolls is great person and frankly, his actions are horrible," Eric raged on X (then known as Twitter). Kellyanne remained silent. But others were quick to clap back. "Of all the ugliness in politics, the utter disrespect the Trumps show toward the rule of law, the presidency and its place of work, and everything this nation has fought SO hard to achieve might top them all. Donald Trump is terrible person and frankly, his actions are horrible," one commenter posted.
It seems Donald's former mouthpiece managed to find her own voice in March 2023. Kellyanne and George announced they were divorcing after more than 20 years of marriage. "We appreciate the many family members, friends, and colleagues who know us, care for us, and support us," they said in a joint statement obtained by CNN. Sadly for Eric, he didn't warrant a namecheck.
Eric Trump: self-appointed English monitor
Eric Trump's shady side surfaced again in 2017 thanks to his ongoing feud with late-night comedian Chelsea Handler. "I guess one of [Donald Trump's] sons is expecting a new baby. Just what we need. Another person with those jeans. Let's hope for a girl," Handler posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, following the announcement that Eric's wife, Lara Trump, was pregnant with their first child, Eric Luke Trump. Ironically, given his father's grasp of the English language, Eric sniped at Handler over her spelling snafu. "Genes #ItIsaBoy," he wrote.
Handler clapped back, "Sorry about spelling mistake. I meant 'genes,' not 'jeans.' I'm a little stoned. What's your excuse?".
"It's just sad, right?" Eric bemoaned to Dr. Oz (via Page Six). "Sad that society's gotten to the point where something as beautiful as this and life and babies and innocence ... really gets taken down like that because of politics." Continuing his ironic streak, Eric complained about how divided America had become and claimed he was taking the higher ground. "When someone spells genes incorrectly, you kind of have to turn your head and ignore it a little," he sniffed.
It was the latest installment in the Handler-Eric feud. In 2016, she mocked him during an interview with Bill Maher. After Maher called Eric "Douchebag Von F***face Trump," Handler went in for the kill. "He's the worst-looking person ever," she said (via Netflix is a Joke on YouTube). "I mean, that face is just so unf***able."