Eric Trump
Eric Trump | |
---|---|
![]() Trump in February 2018 | |
Born | Eric Frederick Trump January 6, 1984 New York City, New York, U.S. |
Alma mater | Georgetown University |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 2006–present |
Known for | Executive at the Trump Organization Former boardroom judge on The Apprentice |
Political party | Republican (2016–present)[1] Independent (until 2016)[2] |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Parents | |
Family | See Trump family |
Website | Official website |
Eric Frederick Trump[3] (born January 6, 1984)[4] is an American businessman and former reality television personality. He is the third child and second son of President Donald Trump and his first wife, Ivana Trump.
A fourth generation businessman (following his great-grandmother Elizabeth, grandfather Fred, and father), he is a trustee and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, running the company alongside his older brother Donald Jr.[5] He also served as a boardroom judge on his father's TV show The Apprentice. During their father's presidency, the brothers continued to do deals and investments in foreign countries, as well as collect payments in their U.S. properties from foreign governments, despite a pledge that they would not do so.[6]
Early life
Eric Trump was born in New York City and attended Trinity School.[3] His parents divorced in 1992, when he was eight years old. As a young boy, Trump spent his summers in the Czech countryside near Zlin with his maternal grandparents. His grandfather, Milos Zelnicek, who died in 1990, was an engineer; his grandmother, Maria, was a worker in a shoe factory. His grandfather taught Trump how to hunt and fish.[7]
In 2002, he graduated from the Hill School.[8] He graduated with a degree in finance and management from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.[9][10]
Trump started accompanying his father to job sites and negotiations from a young age. According to Eric Trump, in his youth he mowed lawns, laid tile, and did other work on his father's properties. Trump briefly considered other careers but decided to join the family business while he was a high school student.[10]
Career
The Trump Organization
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Eric_trump.jpg/170px-Eric_trump.jpg)
Trump is executive vice president of development and acquisitions of the Trump Organization.[10] He worked with his sister, Ivanka, to redesign and renovate Trump National Doral and its Blue Monster course in Miami, Florida.[11]
In 2013, Trump received Wine Enthusiast Magazine's "Rising Star of the Year" Award.[12]
Amid the Trump–Ukraine scandal—where President Trump asked the Ukrainian president to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter—Eric Trump strongly criticized Hunter, accusing him of nepotism. Eric claimed that, unlike Hunter, "When my father became president, our family stopped doing international business deals." However, when Donald Trump became president, rather than place his assets in a blind trust, he made Eric a top executive in the family business, which continues to operate and promote deals across the world.[13][14][15][16][17][18] PolitiFact and the Washington Post fact-checker rated Eric Trump's assertion that the Trump family "got out of all international business" as false.[19][20] PolitiFact noted that not only has the Trump family engaged in international business dealings since Trump became president, but that some of the Trump children, including Eric, have openly celebrated their international business activities during that time.[19]
In October 2019, Eric Trump complained about the Bidens, "Why is it that every family goes into politics and enriches themselves?" Shortly before he made that statement, President Trump had decided that the G-7 summit would be held at the Trump Doral resort, which was owned by the Trump family business. President Trump reversed his decision amid bipartisan condemnation from Republicans and Democrats.[21][22]
Television
He was a boardroom judge on his father's reality television series The Apprentice (2010–2015). He appeared in 23 episodes.[citation needed]
The Eric Trump Foundation
In 2007, Eric Trump established the Eric Trump Foundation, a public charity which raised money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee.[23][24] On November 30, 2012, the foundation committed to raising $20 million over a ten-year period for the naming rights to the new Eric Trump Foundation Surgery & ICU Center in the Kay Research and Care Center, a $198 million tower that was officially opened on February 19, 2015, on the St. Jude campus.[25][26]
St. Jude stated in 2013 that the 7th Annual Eric Trump Foundation Golf Invitational on September 9, 2013, at the Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff, New York, had "... raised 1.5 million for the kids of St. Jude", for a total of $6 million since 2006.[27] On December 30, 2016, Richard C. Shadyac Jr., the president of the fundraising organization of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, wrote a letter to the Eric Trump Foundation stating that the foundation and "... related efforts, such as an Eric Trump Foundation-affiliated team that participates in the New York City Marathon", had raised $16.3 million for the hospital since the charity's inception ten years earlier.[23]
On December 21, 2016, Eric announced that he would stop active fundraising for the Eric Trump Foundation as of December 31. The move came to avoid the appearance that donors were using him to gain access to his father after he won the presidential election.[28]
The 2016 tax return, filed under the foundation's alternative name the Curetivity Foundation, shows that the contributions it received increased from $1.8 million in 2015 to $3.2 million in 2016. The foundation gave $2,910,000 in donations to St. Jude and several smaller donations to other charities while paying a total of $145,000 to various for-profit properties owned by the Trump family.[29][30][31]
Controversy about funds usage
In 2016, the fundraising president of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital stated that the Eric Trump Foundation had raised and donated $16.3 million to the hospital since the charity's foundation.[32]
In June 2017, Forbes reported that the Eric Trump Foundation shifted money intended to go to cancer patients to the family's businesses.[33][34][35][36] Eric Trump had asserted that his foundation got to use Trump Organization assets for free ("We get to use our assets 100% free of charge"), but that appears not to be the case.[33] According to Forbes, more than $1.2 million of the donations went to the Trump Organization for the use of Trump's Westchester golf course and that "Golf charity experts say the listed expenses defy any reasonable cost justification for a one-day golf tournament."[33] According to a former member of the foundation's board of directors, "We did have to cover the expenses. ...The charity had grown so much that the Trump Organization couldn't absorb all of those costs anymore." Forbes acknowledged that the charity has done a great deal of good, including an intensive-care unit that opened in 2015 at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, as well as funding cancer research.[33] According to Trump, the Foundation's expense ratio is 12.6%, and "at no time did the Trump Organization profit in any way from the foundation or any of its activities".[37]
Forbes also reported that more than $500,000 of the money donated for cancer patients "was re-donated to other charities, many of which were connected to Trump family members or interests, including at least four groups that subsequently paid to hold golf tournaments at Trump courses."[33] According to Forbes, "All of this seems to defy federal tax rules and state laws that ban self-dealing and misleading donors. It also raises larger questions about the Trump family dynamics and whether Eric and his brother, Don Jr., can be truly independent of their father."[33] The foundation says that relevant donors were informed that donations would be redirected.[38]
The Eric Trump Foundation has advertised that its golf charity events raised money exclusively for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, with 95–100% of the money raised going toward the charity. Public tax records show that the foundation applied significant amounts of the funds raised to pay costs of the events to the Trump Organization for use of its facilities.[39] Additionally, the foundation donated to charitable causes other than St. Jude and made grants to several other charities, including at least three animal welfare organizations and the American Society for Enology and Viticulture, a California wine industry organization.[39]
Trump said in July 2016 that his father, Donald Trump, had made "hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal donations" to the Eric Trump Foundation in the past, but there is no evidence that the elder Trump gave donations on such a scale. When The Washington Post followed up for evidence, Trump appeared to backtrack and refused to give details.[40]
In June 2017, the New York State Attorney General's Office confirmed that it had begun an inquiry into the Eric Trump Foundation, based on issues raised by the Forbes investigation.[41][42] The investigation was reported as ongoing in December 2018.[43]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/Trump_CAUCUS_%2824471521350%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/170px-Trump_CAUCUS_%2824471521350%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Trump presidential campaigns
2016 presidential campaign
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Eric_Trump_RNC_July_2016_%28cropped2%29.jpg/170px-Eric_Trump_RNC_July_2016_%28cropped2%29.jpg)
His father's 2016 presidential campaign was formally launched on June 16, 2015 at Trump Tower in New York City. He was a key advisor, fundraiser, and campaign surrogate during his father's successful run for the presidency. Trump and his wife made campaign appearances in numerous states on behalf of his father.[44]
On August 2, 2016, in a television appearance on CBS This Morning, Trump was asked to comment on his father's controversial statement to USA Today the previous day in which he said that if his daughter were ever subjected to sexual harassment in the workplace, he hoped she would find another company to work for or switch careers. Eric Trump said, "Ivanka is a strong, powerful woman; she wouldn't allow herself to be objected [recte subjected] to it."[45]
2020 presidential campaign
In May 2020, Trump said on Fox News that stay-at-home orders to combat the spread of the coronavirus were a deliberate strategy by the Democrats and the Biden campaign, intended to prevent his father's re-election by depriving him of the ability to conduct large campaign rallies. Trump said that after election day, "coronavirus will magically all of a sudden go away and disappear and everybody will be able to reopen."[46][47]
In September 2020, Trump spread a false video which appeared to show Joe Biden "being caught red-handed using a teleprompter" when he was not.[48][49]
Big game hunting
In 2010, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) criticized Trump, a big game hunter, for an African hunting trip he took with Donald Trump Jr., his older brother. PETA condemned the pair after photos showed the brothers on an organized safari in Zimbabwe, where their hunting targets included elephants and leopards.[50] The director general of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, V. Chandenga, issued an official response supporting the brothers and calling any allegations of illegality "baseless" and "false".[51] Both brothers defended their safari via Twitter, affirming their actions as hunters and longtime advocates of the outdoors.[52] Donald Trump also addressed the controversy, saying on TMZ that he fully supported his sons' actions.[52]
Personal life
On July 4, 2013, Trump became engaged to his longtime girlfriend Lara Lea Yunaska, an associate producer on the syndicated television news program Inside Edition. They married on November 8, 2014, at Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.[53][54][55] On September 12, 2017, the couple's first child, son Eric "Luke" Trump, was born.[56] On August 19, 2019, Lara gave birth to daughter Carolina Dorothy Trump, the couple's second child.[57] On September 29, 2020, he stated he is not part of the LGBT community, walking back a statement he had made earlier that same day indicating that he was.[58]
References
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- ^ Struyk, Ryan (April 11, 2016). "Donald Trump's Kids Eric and Ivanka Miss Deadline to Vote in NY GOP Primary". ABC News. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ a b "Eric Trump: Philanthropist (1984–)". Biography.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- ^ Carser, A. R. (August 15, 2016). Donald Trump: 45th Us President. ABDO. p. 42. ISBN 9781680795189.
- ^ "Donald Trump". Forbes. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ "The Trump brothers' claims that they no longer profit from foreign deals". The Washington Post. 2019.
- ^ Zak, Dan (May 18, 2016). "Eric and Don have the Trump name, the money, the genes. Here's what makes them different". Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ^ Frank G. Runyeon (September 29, 2017). "The president's son: How Eric became a Trump". City & State.
- ^ Leung, Rebecca (June 9, 2003). "Eric Trump, American Royalty". CBS News. Archived from the original on January 11, 2007. Retrieved November 23, 2006.
- ^ a b c Kawamoto, Dawn (June 17, 2011). "Donald Trump's Legacy: Kids Who Aim to Think Big". Archived from the original on April 19, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ^ Leon, Alexandra (October 3, 2013). "Trump National Doral Miami Construction Ahead of Schedule". NBC 6 South Florida. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
- ^ Hoover, Andrew (November 17, 2013). "2013 Rising Star of the Year: Eric Trump". Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Archived from the original on November 16, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
- ^ Chiu, Allyson (October 17, 2017). "'Your name is literally your dad's full name': Donald Trump Jr. slammed for attacking Hunter Biden over nepotism". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
- ^ Wilstein, Matt (October 17, 2019). "Trevor Noah Exposes Eric and Don Jr.'s Nepotism Hypocrisy". Retrieved October 17, 2019.
- ^ Willis, Jay (October 14, 2019). "How Donald Trump's Kids Have Profited Off Their Dad's Presidency". GQ. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
- ^ Raymond, Adam K. (October 17, 2019). "World's Least Self-Aware Person, Donald Trump Jr., Attacks Bidens for Nepotism". Intelligencer. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
- ^ Krawczyk, Kathryn (October 15, 2019). "Donald Trump Jr. is unironically attacking Hunter Biden for profiting off his father's name". theweek.com. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
- ^ Lipton, Eric; Eder, Steve; Protess, Ben (October 11, 2019). "Those Foreign Business Ties? The Trump Sons Have Plenty Too". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
- ^ a b McCarthy, Bill. "Eric Trump says Trumps stopped 'all international business'". Politifact. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- ^ Rizzo, Salvador (November 1, 2019). "The Trump brothers' claims that they no longer profit from foreign deals". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Folley, Aris (October 21, 2019). "Eric Trump goes after Bidens: 'Why is it that every family goes into politics and enriches themselves?'". TheHill. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- ^ Politi, Daniel (October 21, 2019). "Eric Trump: "Sickening" How "Every Family in Politics Enriches Themselves"". Slate Magazine. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- ^ a b Lipton, Eric; Haberman, Maggie (January 6, 2017). "Hospital Confirms Eric Trump Helped Raise $16.3 Million for It". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- ^ Fahrenthold, David A. (December 22, 2016). "Eric Trump suspends operations of his charitable foundation". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 17, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
- ^ "New $20 Million Dollar "Eric Trump Foundation Surgery & ICU Center", Opening in 2015". erictrumpfoundation.com (Press release). May 6, 2013. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
- ^ "Opening of Kay Research and Care Center represents St. Jude milestone" (Press release). February 19, 2015. Archived from the original on April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
- ^ "The Eric Trump Foundation raises $1.5 million with annual golf event". St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (Press release). September 2013. Archived from the original on April 10, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
- ^ Detrow, Scott (December 22, 2016). "Facing Criticism, Eric Trump Will Stop Actively Fundraising For His Foundation". NPR. Archived from the original on January 17, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Alexander, Dan (January 12, 2018). "New Filing Shows Eric Trump Raised Millions, Lied About His Foundation's Expenses". Forbes. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ Markay, Lachlan (January 11, 2018). "Eric Trump's Charity Paid Donald's Business $145K During Election". The Daily Beast. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ Lanktree, Graham (January 12, 2018). "Eric Trump Charity Paid Trump Family Business More Than $150,000". Newsweek. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ Lipton, Eric; Haberman, Maggie (January 6, 2017). "Hospital Confirms Eric Trump Helped Raise $16.3 Million for It". The New York Times. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f Alexander, Dan (June 29, 2017). "How Donald Trump Shifted Kids-Cancer Charity Money Into His Business". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ Mangan, Dan (June 6, 2017). "Here's how Trump profited from his son's kids cancer charity". CNBC. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ Pearle, Lauren; Beggin, Riley (June 7, 2017). "Eric Trump funneled cancer charity money to his business: report". ABC News. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ Relman, Eliza (June 6, 2017). "Report: The Trumps allegedly funneled thousands in kids' cancer charity donations into the Trump Organization". Business Insider. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ Watson, Kathryn (June 7, 2017). "Eric Trump's cancer charity event was billed by Trump for use of golf course: Report". CBS News. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Alexander, Dan (June 29, 2017). "Eric Trump Foundation Told Donors Money Went To Kids With Cancer, Then Gave To Different Causes". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017.
A spokesperson for the Eric Trump Foundation, which was recently rebranded Curetivity, said the charity had been transparent—at least with some people. 'Relevant donors whose money was given to causes other than St. Jude were made aware the funds would be donated elsewhere,' the spokesperson wrote in an email to Forbes. 'All donations made via the website were given to St. Jude.'
- ^ a b Zadrozny, Brandy (October 1, 2016). "Eric Trump 'Charity' Spent $880K at Family-Owned Golf Resorts". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
- ^ Fahrenthold, David A. (July 12, 2016). "Eric Trump said his charity received 'hundreds of thousands' from his father. Now, he's not sure". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
- ^ Lahut, Jake (June 9, 2017). "N.Y. AG Schneiderman examining Eric Trump Foundation". Politico. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ Fahrenthold, David A. (June 9, 2017). "New York attorney general 'looking into' Eric Trump's foundation". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ Rozsa, Matthew (December 18, 2018). "Trump agrees to shutter charity amid scrutiny — but probe into Eric Trump Foundation continues". Salon.com. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
- ^ Revesz, Rachel (June 27, 2016). "Donald Trump's son spearheads his presidential fundraising campaign". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ^ Zezima, Katie; Rucker, Philip (August 2, 2016). "Trump on how women should deal with harassment: It's 'up to the individual'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 2, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Axios. "Eric Trump accuses Democrats of "milking" coronavirus lockdowns to win the election". Axios. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ Rogers, Taylor Nicole (May 17, 2020). "Eric Trump says coronavirus is a ploy to stop his father's campaign rallies and will 'magically' disappear after election day". Business Insider. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ Dale, Daniel. "Fact check: Eric Trump posts video that falsely claims Joe Biden used teleprompter in Telemundo interview". CNN. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- ^ "No, Joe Biden is not using a teleprompter in an interview". The Washington Post. 2020.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Kelly, Tara (March 13, 2012). "Donald Trump's Sons Defend Safari Killing Spree In Zimbabwe (PHOTOS)". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on May 19, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
- ^ Weiss, Lois (March 28, 2012). "Letter: Trump safari not 'canned'". New York Post. Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
- ^ a b Pfeiffer, Eric (November 15, 2011). "Donald Trump's sons criticized after brutal hunting photos released". The Sideshow. Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on May 2, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
- ^ Rivera, Zayda (November 9, 2014). "Eric Trump marries Lara Yunaska in Palm Beach wedding". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ^ Smith, Emily (November 9, 2014). "Eric Trump weds Lara Yunaska at Donald's Mar-a-Lago Club". Page Six. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
- ^ Vena, Jocelyn (November 10, 2014). "Eric Trump & Lara Yunaska's Wedding Album". People.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
- ^ "Eric and Lara Trump Welcome Son Eric". People. September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- ^ Murphy, Helen (August 20, 2019). "Eric and Wife Lara Trump Welcome Second Child, President Donald Trump's 10th Grandchild". People. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ Nelson, Steven (September 29, 2020). "Eric Trump clarifies remarks on being 'part of' LGBT community". New York Post. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
External links
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- Living people
- 1984 births
- 21st-century American businesspeople
- American construction businesspeople
- American corporate directors
- American hunters
- American nonprofit businesspeople
- American people of Austrian descent
- American people of Moravian descent
- American people of German descent
- American people of Scottish descent
- American real estate businesspeople
- Businesspeople from New York City
- Children of Presidents of the United States
- McDonough School of Business alumni
- New York (state) Republicans
- Philanthropists from New York (state)
- The Hill School alumni
- The Trump Organization employees
- Trinity School (New York City) alumni
- Trump family