Eric Trump has suggested he could run for president when his father's second term ends, saying the political path 'would be an easy one' if he chose to pursue it. The 41-year-old, who has largely stayed away from politics, made the remarks in an interview with the Financial Times.
Eric, co-executive vice-president of the Trump Organization, said the decision hinges on whether he wants to subject his family to the 'brutality' of the political system. 'The real question is: Do you want to drag other members of your family into it? Would I want my kids to live the same experience over the last decade that I've lived?' he said.
He added that he finds himself 'wholly unimpressed by half the politicians' and believes he could do the job 'very effectively'. While US Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to be frontrunners for the GOP nomination, Eric Trump said 'time will tell' if 2024 is the last election with a Trump on the ballot.
Eric also addressed criticism that his family has profited from the presidency, denying it emphatically. 'If there's one family that hasn't profited off politics, it's the Trump family,' he said, citing 'astronomical' opportunity and legal costs. He claimed the family had spent close to $500m defending against 'Russia shams, fake hoaxes, dirty dossiers'.
President Trump's stake in Trump Media & Technology Group is worth about $2bn on paper, and he received $630m last year from products including cryptocurrency, licensing, and Bibles. Eric valued the Trump Organization at between $8bn and $12bn.
