Why Lara Trump's Video Of Her Son Had Internet Users Angry Over Her Parenting

When it comes to parenting, everyone tends to have a strong opinion — for example, what Lara Trump jokingly called "character-building" in a September 2022 Instagram post, other internet users classified as "abuse." The wife of former President Donald Trump's third eldest child, Eric Trump, published the controversial social media post as Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida.

The divisive video featured her young son, Eric Trump Jr., riding a toy bulldozer down the street in the rain as she laughed and walked alongside him toward their Florida home. As she pans back and forth between her son and the rain-soaked street, Eric Jr. can be seen holding his eyes as if he were crying. At one point, the young boy says something to his mother, who quickly replies, "No, you can do it! Let's go!"

While Lara is never seen on camera, it appears she was as out in the elements as her son, nicknamed Luke. Lara's caption read, "Thought we had a clear window, turns out we did some character building instead." She added a few emojis, including a stormcloud and spiral, before adding, "Stay safe everyone!"

Although Lara Trump seemingly posted the video in jest, other Instagram users didn't see the clip as a laughing matter. Comments ranged from highly positive and praising Lara's parenting skills to accusing the wife of Eric Trump of putting her young son in danger. Some users said they hoped someone would call Child Protective Services on the mother of two, with one user commenting, "Humiliating your child is character building? You're sick."

Others were quick to condemn those judging Trump's post. "Anyone with an ounce of sense knows your son is perfectly fine getting wet in the Florida rain," one Instagram user commented. "It rains almost daily in Florida. Her child won't melt, you snowflakes." Another argued, "If it were just a rain shower, yeah. But there was a hurricane on the way. Child abuse."

Though Trump stayed out of the contentious comment section, she seemed to address the backlash in a second post that same day. Her next post featured her daughter, Carolina Dorothy, smiling in the rain in their driveway. "And here's my daughter, having the time of her life in the rain," Trump wrote. "**Cue the crazies," followed by two laughing emojis.

Lara Trump's alienating Instagram video ended before she and her son, Eric "Luke" Trump, made it inside out of the rain. However, the poor weather didn't last for long. Two weeks after her infamous rainstorm clip, the mother of two posted a photo of her, her husband, Eric Trump, and their two kids sitting on a fall-themed display. Her caption read, "59 degrees and our kids think this is winter #FloridaLife." 

Still, Lara's September 2022 video is hardly her most controversial moment. In addition to various scandals associated with her father-in-law, former President Donald Trump, Lara received backlash from yet another Instagram photo she posted on July 4, 2023. The sunny picture featured Lara, Eric, and her two children, who looked fairly upset. The youngest, Carolina Dorothy, winced in the background as Eric Jr. sat on a scooter, holding his eyes, looking like he was crying.

"Best we could manage," Lara wrote. "Happy birthday, America!" Once again, Instagram users were eager to point out how unhappy both children looked, while others argued that it was because the sun was in their eyes (which, to be fair, it appears that it was). But rain or shine, it's clear that the internet has strong opinions about Lara and Eric's parenting of their two kids.