Inside Eric Trump And Donald Trump Jr.'s Relationship
President Donald Trump's sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, are no strangers to the spotlight. From a very young age, they've weathered their parent's divorce together, along with several other storms, all in the watchful eye of the public. But as much as their lives have changed — most recently watching their dad go from brokering high-stakes real estate deals in a boardroom to making life-or-death decisions in the Oval Office — one thing remains constant: their brotherly love for one another (admittedly with plenty of sibling rivalry to go around, too).
The Trump brothers have gone on record stating that their dad was often busy with work while they were growing up, which in turn strengthened their bond with one another. Eric even went as far as crediting his older brother for being his "mentor" in a 2004 interview with New York Magazine. But just how close are these brothers? And what kind of activities do the two like to do together when they're not running their dad's billion-dollar biz? Keep reading after the jump to find out.
The Trump brothers are no strangers to public blunders
You know what they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Donald Jr. and Eric Trump may be perfect examples of that, as they've come under fire for controversial statements and behavior — not unlike their dad. Take, for instance, the time Don Jr. lamented what he considered the Republicans getting unfair treatment and the media favoring 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, per Vanity Fair. "They've let her slide on every discrepancy," he said. "If Republicans were doing that, they'd be warming up the gas chamber right now." Facepalm!
Not so fast — Donald Jr.'s counterpart, Eric, also faced public blunders. Mere days after a lone shooter gunned down five police officers during a 2016 Black Lives Matter rally in Dallas, Eric was caught trying to trade one of his firearms online. The proposition went like this (per the Intelligencer): "Want to trade my Remington 40X in 22-250. The gun is a lazer [sic] and shoots small little groups using 50gr V-Max bullets and 37.0 gr H-380. Im looking for a new Ruger Precision Rifle, Accuracy International AE MIII Folder (ill add cash)..."
Trading guns online — right after a public instance of gun violence — doesn't seem like the best move, as Giffords Law Center notes, "The internet has made it increasingly easy for dangerous people to take advantage of the private sale loophole by arranging gun sales with unlicensed sellers in online chatrooms, social media sites, auctions, and classified ad platforms."
Donald Jr. and Eric Trump like to hunt and they're not sorry about it
Even with all of the money in the world, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are like most brothers in that they love to enjoy certain pastimes together. For these two, that pastime is hunting. However, their brotherly bonding experience was quickly overshadowed when many cried foul regarding their hunting practices.
As reported by Vanity Fair, the brothers made headlines after a 2011 hunting trip in Zimbabwe in which they lived up to their self-proclaimed nickname, "the brutes." Photos surfaced of both brothers gleaming ear-to-ear while Eric held a dead leopard in his bare hands. In another photo, it's Donny Jr. holding what appeared to be the severed tail of a dead elephant.
But the brothers made zero apologies. Quite the opposite, actually. Instead, they doubled down. In true Trump fashion, Donald Jr. took to Twitter to defend his behavior. "[I am] not going to apologize because some eco nuts want me 2," he declared, per VF. Don Jr. added, "I can assure you it was not wasteful the villagers were so happy for the meat which they don't often get to eat." And as for cutting off the dead elephant's tail, he tweeted, "I went along with it they thought it was a cool pic. Take it up w them." Welllll, alrighty then.
Donald Jr. and Eric Trump recall their parents' split differently
When it comes to being children of divorce and the struggles that come along with it, the Trump brothers are no exception. It goes without saying that each brother had to find his own way of processing their parents Donald and Ivana Trump's high-profile, messy split and their father's concurrent affair with his mistress-turned-wife Marla Maples.
It's reported by Vanity Fair that Donald Trump Jr. rebelled amidst the split and even once accused his father of not loving him or his siblings. "How can you say you love us? You don't love us! You don't even love yourself. You just love your money," the then-12-year-old reportedly shouted at his father. But Eric Trump admitted his feelings about the divorce were different, possibly because of his age. "I realized what was going on the least because I was the youngest. But I do remember friends bringing me newspaper articles—which was worse," Eric said in a 2004 interview with New York Magazine.
While the two definitely had their own way of dealing with the demise of their parents' marriage, they're at least lucky to have had one another to navigate the rough waters of divorce. Thank goodness for brotherly love, right?