Eric Frederick Trump
(born January 6, 1984) is an American businessman, activist, and former reality television presenter. He is the third child and second son of U.S. President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
and his first wife,
Ivana Trump.
Trump is a trustee and executive vice president of his father's business,
the Trump Organization
The Trump Organization, Inc. is an American Conglomerate (company), conglomerate. Privately owned by Donald Trump, it serves as the holding company for most of Business career of Donald Trump, Trump's business ventures and investments, with ar ...
, running it alongside his older brother
Donald Jr. He also served as a boardroom judge on his father's television series ''
The Apprentice''. During their father's first presidency, the brothers invested in foreign countries and collected payments in their American properties from foreign governments, despite having pledged not to do so.
Early life
Eric Trump was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
and attended
Trinity School.
His parents divorced in 1990, when he was six years old. As a boy, Trump spent his summers in the
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
countryside near
Zlín
Zlín (in 1949–1989 Gottwaldov; ; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 75,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Zlín Region and it lies on the Dřevnice River. It is known as an industrial centre. The development of the modern city ...
with his maternal grandparents. His grandfather, Miloš Zelníček, who died in 1990, was an engineer; his grandmother, Maria, worked in a shoe factory. His grandfather taught Trump to hunt and fish.
In 2002, Trump graduated from
the Hill School, a preparatory boarding high school. In 2006, he graduated with honors from
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
in Washington D.C. with a
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in finance and management and a minor in
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
.
Trump started accompanying his father to job sites and negotiations from a young age.
He has said he mowed lawns, laid tiles, and did other work on his father's properties in his youth.
Trump briefly considered other careers but decided to join the family business while a high school student.
Career
The Trump Organization

Trump is the Trump Organization's executive vice president of development and acquisitions.
He worked with his sister,
Ivanka, to redesign and renovate
Trump National Doral and its Blue Monster course in Miami, Florida.
In 2013, Trump received ''
Wine Enthusiast Magazine''s "Rising Star of the Year" Award.
Amid the
Trump–Ukraine scandal—where President Trump asked the Ukrainian president to investigate
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
and his son,
Hunter
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...
—Eric Trump strongly criticized Hunter, accusing him of
nepotism
Nepotism is the act of granting an In-group favoritism, advantage, privilege, or position to Kinship, relatives in an occupation or field. These fields can include business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, religion or health care. In ...
. Eric claimed that, unlike Hunter, "When my father became president, our family stopped doing international business deals". But 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 continued to operate and promote business transactions across the world.
PolitiFact
PolitiFact.com is an American nonprofit project operated by the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, with offices there and in Washington, D.C. It began in 2007 as a project of the ''Tampa Bay Times'' (then the ''St. Petersburg Times ...
and
the ''Washington Post'' fact-checkers rated Eric Trump's assertion that the Trump family "got out of all international business" false.
PolitiFact noted that not only had the Trump family engaged in international business dealings since Trump became president, but that some of the president's children, including Eric, had openly celebrated their international business activities during that time.
In 2017, it was reported that Eric Trump had said that "we don't rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia", and that "we've got some guys that really, really love golf, and they're really invested in our programmes. We just go there all the time." In 2008, Trump said that "in terms of high-end product influx into the US, Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets", and that "we see a lot of money pouring in from Russia".
In October 2019, Eric Trump complained of 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 is owned by the Trump Organization. President Trump reversed his decision amid
bipartisan
Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing Political party, politica ...
condemnation.
A ruling which was handed down on February 16, 2024 barred Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York, including the Trump Organization, for two years.
Television
Trump was a boardroom judge on his father's reality television series ''
The Apprentice'' (2010–2015). He appeared in 23 episodes, 21 times as a boardroom judge and twice as an audience member.
The Eric Trump Foundation
In 2007, Trump established the Eric Trump Foundation, a public charity to raise money for
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee.
On November 30, 2012, the foundation committed to raising $20 million over ten years 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 opened on February 19, 2015, on the St. Jude campus.
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.
On December 30, 2016, Richard C. Shadyac Jr., the president of the fundraising organization of
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, wrote the Eric Trump Foundation a letter 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.
On December 21, 2016, Trump 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.
The foundation's 2016 tax return, filed under its 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 the Trump family owned.
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.
In June 2017, ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' reported that the Eric Trump Foundation shifted money intended to go to cancer patients to the Trumps' businesses.
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 true. 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 "Golf charity experts say the listed expenses defy any reasonable cost justification for a one-day golf tournament". According to a former foundation director, "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 and funding cancer research.
[ According to Trump, the foundation's ]expense ratio
The expense ratio of a stock or asset fund is the total percentage of fund assets used for administrative, management, advertising (12b-1), and all other expenses. An expense ratio of 1% per annum means that each year 1% of the fund's total assets ...
is 12.6%, and "at no time did the Trump Organization profit in any way from the foundation or any of its activities".
''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". 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."[ The foundation says that relevant donors were informed that donations would be redirected.
The Eric Trump Foundation had 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. 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.
Trump said in July 2016 that 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 of that. When '']The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' requested evidence, Trump appeared to backtrack and refused to give details.
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 the ''Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' investigation raised. The investigation was reported as ongoing in December 2018.
Trump presidential campaigns
2016 presidential campaign
Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign was formally launched on June 16, 2015, at Trump Tower in New York City. Eric was a key advisor, fundraiser, and campaign surrogate during the campaign. He and his wife made campaign appearances in numerous states on his father's behalf.
On August 2, 2016, in a television appearance on ''CBS This Morning
''CBS This Morning'' (''CTM'') is an American morning television program that aired on CBS from November 30, 1987 to October 29, 1999, and again from January 9, 2012 to September 6, 2021. On November 1, 1999, the original incarnation was repla ...
'', Trump was asked to comment on his father's controversial statement to ''USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' 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. Trump said, "Ivanka is a strong, powerful woman; she wouldn't allow herself to be objected 'recte'' subjectedto it".
Michael Cohen reimbursement payments
On May 28, 2024, an email was shown during defense closing arguments in Donald Trump's New York criminal trial which revealed that longtime Trump Organization comptroller Jeffrey McConnery, who was previously acknowledged to have organized Trump Sr.'s reimbursement payments to Michael Cohen following the hush money payments Cohen made to Stormy Daniels
Stephanie A. Gregory Clifford (born Stephanie A. Gregory; March 17, 1979), known professionally as Stormy Daniels, is an American pornographic film actress, Film director, director and former stripper. She has won many industry awards and is a ...
, sought approval from both Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. It has been acknowledged that Eric Trump had signed some of the reimbursement
Reimbursement is the act of compensating someone for an out-of-pocket expense by giving them an amount of money equal to what was spent.
Companies, governments and nonprofit organizations may compensate their employees or officers for necessary ...
checks to Cohen as well.
Conspiracy theories and attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election
Trump has promoted several conspiracy theories
A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources:
*
...
.
In May 2020, Trump said on Fox News
The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
that stay-at-home orders to combat the spread of COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
were a strategy by the Democrats and the Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
campaign intended to prevent his father's reelection 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".
In September 2020, Trump spread a false video that appeared to show Biden "being caught red-handed using a teleprompter" when he was not.
Following his father's electoral defeat, Eric Trump engaged in attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election
United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and California junior senator Kamala H ...
, falsely calling the election result a "fraud" and threatening Republican lawmakers to overturn the result.
While ballots were being counted in the 2020 election, Trump made baseless claims intended to cast doubt on Pennsylvania's ballot-counting process. He shared a fake video that purported to show Trump ballots being burned.
On the day of the January 6 storming of the United States Capitol, Trump spoke at the "Save America" rally alongside his wife Lara and Donald Trump Jr., among others. Trump was later among those who advanced the conspiracy theory that people associated with antifa were responsible for the attack.
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
''Inside Edition'' is an American tabloid television program that is distributed in Broadcast syndication, first-run syndication by CBS Media Ventures. Having premiered on January 9, 1989, it is the longest-running syndicated-newsmagazine progr ...
''. They married on November 8, 2014 at the Mar-a-Lago
Mar-a-Lago ( , ) is a resort and National Historic Landmark on a barrier island in Palm Beach, Florida, United States. It spans 126 rooms and built on of land. Since 1985, it has been owned by Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of t ...
Club in Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach, Florida, ...
. They have two children; their son Eric Luke Trump was born in September 2017, and their daughter Carolina Dorothy Trump was born in August 2019. They are respectively the ninth and tenth grandchildren of Donald Trump.
In April 2021, Trump and his wife acquired a $3.2 million home in Jupiter, Florida
Jupiter is the northernmost town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 US Census, the town had a population of 61,047. It is 84 miles north of Miami and 15 miles north of West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach. ...
. In March 2022, Trump joined other members of his family in switching his official residency from New York to Florida.
Trump is an "avid outdoorsman" and big-game hunter. He also enjoys skiing.
In 2010, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president.
Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal rights ...
(PETA) criticized Trump, a big game hunter, for an African hunting trip he took with his older brother. PETA condemned the brothers after photos showed them on an organized safari
A safari (; originally ) is an overland journey to observe wildlife, wild animals, especially in East Africa. The so-called big five game, "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, African leopard, leopard, rhinoceros, African elephant, elep ...
in Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
, where they killed elephants and leopards. 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". The brothers defended their safari on Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
, affirming their actions as hunters and longtime advocates of the outdoors. Donald Trump also addressed the controversy, saying on TMZ
''TMZ'' is an American entertainment-focused tabloid news organization owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested ...
that he fully supported his sons' actions.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trump, Eric
1984 births
Living people
21st-century American businesspeople
American businesspeople in real estate
American conspiracy theorists
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
Businesspeople from New York City
Eric
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-N ...
McDonough School of Business alumni
New York (state) independents
New York (state) Republicans
People associated with the 2016 United States presidential election
People associated with the 2020 United States presidential election
People associated with the 2024 United States presidential election
Philanthropists from New York (state)
Protesters in or near the January 6 United States Capitol attack
The Hill School alumni
The Trump Organization employees
Trinity School (New York City) alumni
Eric
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-N ...