Donald Trump Jr.'s Life in His Father's Shadow

When your name is Donald Trump Jr. it is pretty hard to escape your father’s shadow.
I’d introduce myself as just Don.
Avoid the last name at all costs.
I didn't want to have to deal with everyone making those assumptions
It wasn't until his father's presidential campaign that he emerged as a full-throated
Trump.
You can't give a Trump a mic and not expect us to take our turn
Donald Trump Jr. is very similar to his Dad.
That's Kevin Cirilli, chief Washington correspondent for Bloomberg television
Both are ambitious, driven, and not afraid to pick a fight, even if it will lead to controversy, and scandal
She deserves everything that's coming to her
And now the spotlight has turned on Donald Trump Jr – as his meeting with a Russian
who promised damaging information about his father's political rival, Hillary Clinton,
raises serious questions.
If a foreign government offers to aid your campaign the answer is no.
I think anyone even a rookie would realize that was inappropriate
This is how Donald Trump Jr. went from prodigal son to company man to political lightning
rod.
Donald Trump Jr. was born on New Year’s Eve 1977 to then real estate mogul Donald
Trump and his wife Ivana, a former model and skiing prodigy from Czechoslovakia.
Donny, as he was then called, grew up in Trump Tower’s 53 room penthouse –surrounded
by nannies and bodyguards.
Donald Trump Sr. has said that he was going to be a much more engaged father with his
children when they were adults.
Don Jr. spent summers with his grandfather Milos in Czechoslovakia learning hunting and
fishing.
There he developed a love for the outdoors that would follow him throughout his life.
At the age of 12, his parents had a very messy public divorce.
Blaming his father, Don Jr. did not speak to him for over a year.
To insulate him from unwanted attention, Ivana sent Don Jr. off to boarding school.
While refusing to attend his father’s wedding to Marla Maples, Don Jr. still labored on
his father’s construction sites for minimum wage and attended his alma mater- The University
of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School – earning a degree in finance and real estate.
After college he took some time for himself.
He went to Colorado.
He worked at a ski resort.
And he was someone who didn’t immediately go into the family business.
In 2001, Donald Trump Jr. changed his tune.
He reported for work at the Trump Organization in the same building he grew up.
Don Jr. eventually rose to Executive Vice President – joining his father in the real
boardroom – and the fictional one - appearing alongside him on The Apprentice.
Who would you rather see continue on with you?
oof, Don Jr.
That's a very good question.
I am officially running for President of the United States
Along with his siblings Ivanka and Eric, Donald Trump Jr was a key part of the campaign from
day one.
If Hillary Clinton were elected, she’d be the first President who couldn’t pass a
basic background check.
Unlike Jared Kushner, Ivanka and even Trump himself, Don Jr’s ideologies align a lot more with
the conservative base.
That’s Shannon Pettypiece,
I’m a White House reporter with Bloomberg News.
He is incredibly popular with the Trump base.
He speaks their language.
He’s a big sportsman, gun advocate…
Which has landed him in hot water at times.
The Trump sons became targets themselves earlier this year after photographs of their big game kill surfaced online
Just like his father…
He’s not a politician.
He’s not politically correct and he’s gotten criticism for it.
And he is pugnacious on social media.
He’s said things that are considered insensitive…Comparing Syrian refugees to poisonous Skittles…
He does not appear to think the rules apply to him.
You can look at his father as defying the typical rules, and that's sort of the culture
around the campaign, then you could see how he was fitting right into it.
After the election, Don Jr., along with brother Eric, were put in charge of running the Trump
Organization.
We used to joke we are going to get him elected so we can get some peace and quiet because
he is a tough boss.
He has not stayed out of politics and just been focused on real estate.
He’s a very effective fundraiser.
And the assumption is that he was, and maybe will still, continue being very involved in
the RNC.
As the accusations mount, Donald Trump has come out in support of his son.
In his own way.
My son is a wonderful young man. Great young man and fine person. And I think it's a meeting that most people in politics would've taken.
If Donald Trump Jr. can somehow weather the growing legal storm with his reputation intact…
If anyone from the family was going to have a political future, it seems like
Don Jr. would be a real natural for having his own political career.
Which would likely prove to be a wild ride.
Donald Trump Jr…he’s authentic.
The public may not agree with it, but you know if you ask Donald Trump Jr. a question
you're going to get what he thinks.

Donald Trump Jr.'s Life in His Father's Shadow

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