What Eric Trump's Childhood With Donald Was Really Like

Donald Trump's relationship with his five children is a complex one, to say the very least. They were all born at different stages of his life and during different marriages to boot. Donald's kids range from Donald Trump Jr., his oldest child with Ivana Trump, who turns 46 in 2023, to 17-year-old Barron Trump, whom the former president shares with his current wife, Melania Trump. Donald's older kids grew up knowing him as an ambitious businessman, while Barron spent his tween years in the White House as his dad held the highest office in the land.

Eric Trump falls squarely somewhere in the middle. Neither the namesake nor the new generation, the second Trump son still holds an important position as executive vice president of the Trump Organization. Essentially, Eric helps open and oversee new Trump properties worldwide, particularly golf courses, hotels, and the Trump Winery in Virginia. When he's not working, Eric often accompanies his father to various fundraisers and rallies or spends family time with his wife, journalist Lara Trump, and their two children, Luke and Carolina Trump.

As for what was it like growing up as the child of a feared real estate developer and future president, well, it wasn't exactly the hard-knock life, but on the other hand, the Trumps weren't the Cleavers either. Still, Eric is proud of his famous father and the values Donald instilled in him throughout his life. 

The tear-jerking Harry Chapin song, "Cat's in the Cradle," could have been describing life in the Trump household. The former president has made no secret of his parenting approach, openly admitting in various interviews that he sees his responsibility as providing financial support while the mother does the more hands-on care. Donald Trump even suggested fathers who change diapers have been emasculated by their partners during an appearance on "Opie and Anthony," asserting, "There's a lot of women out there that demand that the husband act like the wife, and you know, there's a lot of husbands that listen to that," (via BuzzFeed)

Eric Trump has acknowledged his father wasn't the bedtime-stories type. In an October 2023 interview with Kari Lake, Eric described his father as "unconventional," acknowledging, "We probably spent less time out there throwing baseballs around" and implying that he and his siblings didn't sit down with their dad for many family dinners either (via Newsweek). Still, Eric described Donald as tough but wonderful, not to mention determined to keep his children on the straight and narrow. Eric recalled that every day, from the time he was four years old, Donald would tell him sternly, "No drinking, no drugs, no smoking." 

It was a message close to his father's heart since Donald's older brother, Fred Trump Jr., died relatively young of alcohol-related causes. If Eric resents his father's absenteeism, he doesn't show it; the Trump Org executive VP continues to be one of his biggest supporters both on and off the campaign trail. 

Donald Trump had his oldest three children with his first wife, the late Ivana Trump. Because both parents were busy with their business ventures (Ivana held prestigious posts at several Trump hotels and casinos), they relied on two nannies to do the hands-on caretaking for Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump. Ivana's Czech parents also played a crucial role in the Trump kids' upbringing; for half the year, they lived in New York with their grandchildren and then took them to their homeland each summer.

Interviewed for a 2022 documentary called "Unprecedented" (via Business Insider), the three older children claimed their father bonded with them by bringing them into his office to watch the inner workings of the Trump empire. Training his children for the cutthroat business world, Donald also encouraged them to compete against one another, especially on ski trips. Eric recalled to New York magazine that his dad was equally driven to win: "He would try to push me over, just so he could beat his 10-year-old son down the mountain."

Donald and Ivana separated when Eric was just six years old, in the wake of his affair with Marla Maples. The kids were then sent to boarding schools to keep them away from the media glare. While it was a rough time for all, Eric clarified that the family drama led to a more meaningful relationship with his older siblings.

Despite the lack of sentimental father-son memories, Eric Trump takes pride in the work ethic that was passed down to him by Donald Trump. His real-estate career quite literally started on the ground floor, as Eric learned early on what goes into the making of a building. During his Kari Lake interview, Eric recalled how he was required to do manual labor for little pay to earn luxuries like a new bike. "I was on construction sites when I was 11, 12 years old doing demo, breaking down walls, concrete, sheet rock, plumbing, stuff I literally still do for myself these days," Eric said.

Despite his advantages — a Georgetown education, a gig in the family business — Eric maintains he might have been the recipient of his dad's famous "You're fired" dismissal if he hadn't performed to expectations. The VP argued to Forbes in 2017, "We might be here because of nepotism, but we're not still here because of nepotism. You know, if we didn't do a good job, if we weren't competent, believe me, we wouldn't be in this spot."

As a father of two himself, Eric is more involved than his dad was during his childhood. Maybe that attitude is rubbing off on the former president since Donald Trump had a tender moment with granddaughter Carolina Trump, Eric's daughter, when he visited her classroom for Grandparents Day. Eric reposted wife Lara Trump's comment on X , formerly known as Twitter: "When top priority is showing Grandpa your desk at school."