The Heartbreaking Reason You'll Never Find Donald Trump Drinking Or Smoking
You can say a lot of things about Donald Trump (and many people have!). You can criticize or praise his policies, his bluntness, his business sense, or the famous Trump hair. You can call him a patriot or a tyrant, but there's one thing you can't call him: an alcoholic. That's because the 45th president is a dedicated teetotaler who's proud to say so — and to explain the sad reason behind his decision. His older brother Fred Trump, Jr., died tragically of alcoholism when he was just 42.
On the August 20, 2024, episode of the Theo Von podcast — a favorite of his son Barron's — Trump confirmed, "I don't drink or smoke." He proceeded to explain why: "I had a great brother who taught me a lesson: 'Don't drink.' And he said, 'Don't smoke.' He smoked and he drank." Fred may have begun drinking in college, he added, "and then the family would see it and start to notice it," Trump said. Hearing his brother's constant warnings, and watching the toll alcohol took on his body, made a huge impact on him, and he determined early on never to put himself at risk. "Never have I ever had a glass of alcohol," he told Von. Similarly, The Donald stayed away from cigarettes, unlike his predecessor. Barack Obama finally quit smoking to reinforce the healthy-living message set by first lady Michelle Obama.
Fred Trump Jr. had a complicated life
The oldest of the five Trump siblings, Fred Trump Jr. was named for his father and expected to follow Fred Sr. into the real estate field. But the handsome, joyful young man had other dreams: After graduating from Lehigh University, he enrolled in a TWA pilot training program against his dad's wishes. In a 2019 interview he gave to The Washington Post, Donald Trump admitted he, too, fought his brother's decision. "I do regret having put pressure on him" to join the Trump Organization, he admitted. "It was just not his thing. . . . I think the mistake that we made was we assumed that everybody would like it. That would be the biggest mistake."
The article suggests the family strain led Fred to turn to alcohol for relief; fellow pilots confirmed he was often drinking on the job. Eventually, Fred either left or was fired by TWA (accounts vary), and entered the Trump business. This, too, was marred by his alcoholism. Donald became the golden boy of the organization while Fred lost his standing, his marriage, and finally his health. Outpatient rehab efforts failed, and in 1981, Fred died of a heart attack while hospitalized.
Donald struggled to understand why his charismatic brother couldn't conquer his addiction. "I used to ask, 'Is it the taste, or what is it?'" Trump told The Post. "He didn't know what to say about it because, frankly, it was just something that he liked."
Donald Trump wants his kids to avoid the same fate
Having had the sobriety message drummed into him by his brother, the former president does the same for other children. As he told Theo Von during the podcast, it's easier not to begin a drinking or drug habit than it is to quit one. The younger Trumps heard the admonitions a lot growing up, as well. A clip on X of an interview Donald and Melania Trump did with Larry King shows the young Barron Trump getting a pep talk from his dad. "I want all A's," Trump says. "And when you get older, what are you going to remember? No drugs, no alcohol, no cigarettes."
It's not yet known whether Barron, now a college student, has followed his dad's warning, but his older siblings haven't totally abstained. In 2019, when the family was involved in a lawsuit against Congress involving their financial records, Eric Trump joked about the lawmakers wanting to know "how many beers [sister] Tiffany [Trump] had on Friday afternoon in Georgetown" (per People).
Amazing Donald Trump Throwback with Barron:
"No drugs. No alcohol. No cigarettes."
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 21, 2022
Donald Trump Jr. learned his uncle's lesson in time to avoid his fate. In his book "Triggered," as reported by the Daily Mail, the former first son confessed to being a binge drinker in college before realizing his "all-or-nothing personality" could lead him down a dangerous path, and quit entirely. "One thing about us Trumps is that we have plenty of willpower. I would come to find that it was easier for me to ignore alcohol than it was to try to control it," Don Jr. wrote. His father is surely glad to have his namesake follow his example. Trump's Diet Coke habit, on the other hand, is another story...