Eric Trump

Eric Trump
Trump in February 2018
Born Eric Frederick Trump
(1984-01-06) January 6, 1984[1]
New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater Georgetown University
Occupation
  • Businessman
  • philanthropist
  • television personality
Years active 2006–present
Known for Executive at the Trump Organization
Former boardroom judge on The Apprentice
Political party Republican[2]
Spouse(s)
Lara Yunaska (m. 2014)
Children 1
Parent(s)
Family See Trump family
Website Official website

Eric Frederick Trump (born January 6, 1984) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and former reality television personality. He is the third child and second son of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and Ivana Trump. Alongside his older brother Donald Trump Jr., he serves as a trustee of The Trump Organization.

A fourth-generation businessman who followed in the footsteps of his great-grandmother Elizabeth Trump (who founded the company), grandfather Fred Trump, and father, Trump has served as a longtime executive vice president of the firm; Trump and his brother Donald Jr. are currently running the company during their father's administration. From 2007 to 2016, he led The Eric Trump Foundation, a charity that raised money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In June 2017, it was reported that the Eric Trump Foundation shifted a portion of that money to the Trump Organization ostensibly to cover the expenses of various fundraising events, though charity experts say there was no reasonable cost justification. Trump denies any wrongdoing and pledges to cooperate with any official review of the matter.

Early life

Eric Trump was born in Manhattan, New York City and attended Trinity School. His parents divorced in 1992, when he was eight years old. As a young boy, Trump spent his summers in the Czech countryside near Zlin with his maternal grandparents. His grandfather, Milos Zelnicek, who died in 1990, was an engineer; his grandmother, Maria, was a worker in a shoe factory. His grandfather taught Trump how to hunt and fish. Trump describes his parents as loving but strict disciplinarians who emphasized hard work, good grades, and clean living."[3]

In 2002, he graduated from The Hill School and subsequently served on its board until 2013.[4] He graduated with a degree in finance and management, with honors, from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.[5][6]

Trump started accompanying his father to job sites and negotiations from a very young age. Later in his youth he spent summers mowing lawns, laying tile, cutting rebar, hanging chandeliers, and performing various other work at his father's properties. Trump briefly considered other careers but decided to join the family business while he was a high school student.[6]

Career

The Trump Organization

Trump c. 2009

Trump is executive vice president of development and acquisitions of the Trump Organization.[7] He worked with his sister, Ivanka, to redesign and renovate Trump National Doral and its Blue Monster course in Miami, Florida.[8]

In 2013, Trump earned Wine Enthusiast Magazine's "Rising Star of the Year" Award.[9]

Television

He was a boardroom judge on his father's reality television series The Apprentice (2010-2015). He appeared in a total of 23 episodes.

Philanthropy

The Eric Trump Foundation

In 2007, Eric Trump established the Eric Trump Foundation, a public charity which raised money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee.[10][11] On November 30, 2012, the foundation committed to raising $20 million over a 10-year period for the naming rights to the new Eric Trump Foundation Surgery & ICU Center in the Kay Research and Care Center, a $198 million tower that was officially opened on February 19, 2015, on the St. Jude campus".[12][13]

St. Jude's September 2013 press release stated that the 7th Annual Eric Trump Foundation Golf Invitational on September 9, 2013, at the Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff, New York, had "... raised 1.5 million for the kids of St. Jude", for a total of $6 million since 2006.[14] On December 30, 2016, Richard C. Shadyac Jr., the president of the fundraising organization of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, wrote a letter to the Eric Trump Foundation stating that the foundation and "... related efforts, such as an Eric Trump Foundation-affiliated team that participates in the New York City Marathon", had raised $16.3 million for the hospital since the charity's inception 10 years ago.[10]

On December 21, 2016, Eric announced that he would stop active fundraising for the Eric Trump Foundation as of December 31. The move came to avoid the appearance that donors were using him to gain access to his father after he won the presidential election.[15]

The 2016 tax return, filed under the foundation's alternative name The Curetivity Foundation, shows that the contributions it received increased from $1.8 million in 2015 to $3.2 million in 2016. The foundation gave $2,910,00 in donations to St. Jude and several smaller donations to other charities while paying a total of $145,000 to various for-profit properties owned by the Trump family.[16][17][18]

Controversy about use of funds

Trump speaking at the 2016 RNC

In 2016, the fundraising president of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, stated that The Eric Trump Foundation had raised and donated $16.3 million dollars to the hospital since the charity's foundation.[19]

In June 2017, Forbes reported that the Eric Trump Foundation shifted money intended to go to cancer patients to the family's businesses.[20][21][22][23] Eric Trump had asserted that his foundation got to use Trump Organization assets for free ("We get to use our assets 100% free of charge"), but that appears not to be the case.[20] According to Forbes, more than $1.2 million of the donations went to the Trump Organization for the use of Trump's Westchester golf course and that "Golf charity experts say the listed expenses defy any reasonable cost justification for a one-day golf tournament."[20] According to a former member of the foundation's board of directors, "We did have to cover the expenses....The charity had grown so much that the Trump Organization couldn't absorb all of those costs anymore." Forbes acknowledged that the charity has done a great deal of good, including an intensive-care unit that opened in 2015 at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, as well as funding cancer research.[20] Trump denies wrongdoing and pledges to cooperate with any review of the matter.[24]

According to Trump, the Foundation's expense ratio is 12.6%, and "at no time did the Trump Organization profit in any way from the foundation or any of its activities".[25]

Forbes also reported that more than $500,000 of the money donated for cancer patients "was re-donated to other charities, many of which were connected to Trump family members or interests, including at least four groups that subsequently paid to hold golf tournaments at Trump courses."[20] According to Forbes, "All of this seems to defy federal tax rules and state laws that ban self-dealing and misleading donors. It also raises larger questions about the Trump family dynamics and whether Eric and his brother, Don Jr., can be truly independent of their father."[20] The Foundation says that relevant donors were informed that donations would be redirected.[26]

The Eric Trump Foundation has advertised that its golf charity events raised money exclusively for St Jude's Children's Research Hospital, with 95–100% of the money raised going toward the charity. Public tax records show that the foundation applied significant amounts of the funds raised to pay costs of the events to the Trump Organization for use of its facilities.[27] Additionally, the foundation donated to charitable causes other than St Jude and made grants to several other charities, including at least three animal welfare organizations and the American Society for Enology and Viticulture, a California wine industry organization.[27]

Trump said in July 2016 that his father, Donald Trump, had made "hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal donations" to the Eric Trump Foundation in the past, although the Eric Trump Foundation's tax records don't explicitly show such donations. When The Washington Post followed up for evidence, Trump appeared to backtrack and refused to give details.[28]

In June 2017, the New York State Attorney General's Office confirmed that it had begun an inquiry into the Eric Trump Foundation, based on issues raised by the Forbes investigation.[29][30] The investigation was reported as ongoing in January 2018.[16][17]

2016 presidential campaign

Trump and his wife at a campaign event, February 2016

His father's 2016 presidential campaign was formally launched on June 16, 2015 at Trump Tower in New York City. He was a key advisor, fundraiser, and campaign surrogate during his father's successful run for the presidency. Trump and his wife made campaign appearances in numerous states on behalf of his father.[31]

On August 2, 2016, in a television appearance on CBS This Morning, Trump was asked to comment on his father's controversial statement to USA Today the previous day in which he said that if his daughter were ever subjected to sexual harassment in the workplace, he hoped she would find another company to work for or switch careers. Eric Trump said, "Ivanka is a strong, powerful woman, she wouldn't allow herself to be objected [sic] to it."[32]

The 58th quadrennial presidential election was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. His father's Republican ticket won.

On Friday, January 20, 2017, he attended the inauguration of Donald Trump at the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. as his father took office as the 45th President of the United States.

Big game hunting

In 2010, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) criticized Trump, a big game hunter, for an African hunting trip he took with Donald Trump Jr., his older brother. PETA condemned the pair after photos showed the brothers on an organized safari in Zimbabwe, where they hunted animals.[33] The director general of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, V. Chandenga, issued an official response supporting the brothers and calling any allegations of illegality "baseless" and "false".[34] Both brothers defended their safari via Twitter, affirming their actions as hunters and longtime advocates of the outdoors.[35] Donald Trump also addressed the controversy, saying on TMZ that he fully supported his sons' actions.[35]

Personal life

On July 4, 2013, Trump became engaged to his longtime girlfriend Lara Lea Yunaska (born October 12, 1982), an associate producer on the syndicated television news program Inside Edition. They married on November 8, 2014, at Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.[36][37][38] On September 12, 2017, the two had a son.[39]

References

  1. ↑ Carser, A. R. (2016-08-15). Donald Trump: 45th Us President. ABDO. ISBN 9781680795189.
  2. ↑ Cillizza, Chris (April 13, 2016). "The Trump family town hall was very, very entertaining". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Celebrity Prep Schools". Archived from the original on December 5, 2006. Retrieved November 23, 2006.
  5. ↑ "Eric Trump, American Royalty". CBS News. June 9, 2003. Archived from the original on January 11, 2007. Retrieved November 23, 2006.
  6. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 19, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  7. ↑ Kawamoto, Dawn (June 17, 2011). "Donald Trump's Legacy: Kids Who Aim to Think Big". Daily Finance. Archived from the original on June 20, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
  8. ↑ Leon, Alexandra (October 3, 2013). "Trump National Doral Miami Construction Ahead of Schedule". NBC 6 South Florida. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  9. ↑ Hoover, Andrew (November 17, 2013). "2013 Rising Star of the Year: Eric Trump". Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Archived from the original on November 16, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  10. 1 2 Lipton, Eric; Haberman, Maggie (January 6, 2017). "Hospital Confirms Eric Trump Helped Raise $16.3 Million for It". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  11. ↑ Fahrenthold, David A. (December 22, 2016). "Eric Trump suspends operations of his charitable foundation". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 17, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  12. ↑ "New $20 Million Dollar "Eric Trump Foundation Surgery & ICU Center", Opening in 2015". May 6, 2013. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Opening of Kay Research and Care Center represents St. Jude milestone". February 19, 2015. Archived from the original on April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  14. ↑ "The Eric Trump Foundation raises $1.5 million with annual golf event". September 2013. Archived from the original on April 10, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  15. ↑ Detrow, Scott (December 22, 2016). "Facing Criticism, Eric Trump Will Stop Actively Fundraising For His Foundation". NPR. Archived from the original on January 17, 2017.
  16. 1 2 Alexander, Dan (January 12, 2018). "New Filing Shows Eric Trump Raised Millions, Lied About His Foundation's Expenses". Forbes. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  17. 1 2 Markay, Lachlan (January 11, 2018). "Eric Trump's Charity Paid Donald's Business $145K During Election". The Daily Beast. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  18. ↑ Lanktree, Graham (January 12, 2018). "Eric Trump Charity Paid Trump Family Business More Than $150,000". Newsweek. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Hospital Confirms Eric Trump Helped Raise $16.3 Million for It". New York Times. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Alexander, Dan. "How Donald Trump Shifted Kids-Cancer Charity Money Into His Business". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  21. ↑ Mangan, Dan (June 6, 2017). "Here's how Trump profited from his son's kids cancer charity". CNBC. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  22. ↑ News, A. B. C. (June 7, 2017). "Eric Trump funneled cancer charity money to his business: report". ABC News. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Report: The Trumps allegedly funneled thousands in kids' cancer charity donations into the Trump Organization". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  24. ↑ Wolf, Leon. "Here’s what you need to know about the Eric Trump charity scandal" Archived June 13, 2017, at the Wayback Machine., The Blaze (June 12, 2017): "Eric Trump has strongly denied any wrongdoing related to his charity or its use of funds, and has promised that the foundation will cooperate with any review."
  25. ↑ Watson, Kathryn. "Eric Trump's cancer charity event was billed by Trump for use of golf course: Report" Archived July 7, 2017, at the Wayback Machine., CBS News (June 7, 2017).
  26. ↑ Alexander, Dan. "Eric Trump Foundation Told Donors Money Went To Kids With Cancer, Then Gave To Different Causes" Archived July 6, 2017, at the Wayback Machine., Forbes (June 29, 2017): "A spokesperson for the Eric Trump Foundation, which was recently rebranded Curetivity, said the charity had been transparent — at least with some people. 'Relevant donors whose money was given to causes other than St. Jude were made aware the funds would be donated elsewhere,' the spokesperson wrote in an email to Forbes. 'All donations made via the website were given to St. Jude.'"
  27. 1 2 Zadrozny, Brandy (October 1, 2016). "Eric Trump 'Charity' Spent $880K at Family-Owned Golf Resorts". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Eric Trump said his charity received 'hundreds of thousands' from his father. Now, he's not sure". Washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  29. ↑ Jake Lahut, N.Y. AG Schneiderman examining Eric Trump Foundation, Politico (June 9, 2017).
  30. ↑ David A. Fahrenthold, New York attorney general 'looking into' Eric Trump’s foundation, Washington Post (June 9, 2017).
  31. ↑ Revesz, Rachel (June 27, 2016). "Donald Trump's son spearheads his presidential fundraising campaign". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Trump on how women should deal with harassment: It's 'up to the individual'". The Washington Post. August 2, 2016. Archived from the original on August 2, 2016.
  33. ↑ Kelly, Tara (March 13, 2012). "Donald Trump's Sons Defend Safari Killing Spree In Zimbabwe (PHOTOS)". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on May 19, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  34. ↑ Weiss, Lois (March 28, 2012). "Letter: Trump safari not 'canned'". New York Post. Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  35. 1 2 Pfeiffer, Eric (November 15, 2011). "Donald Trump's sons criticized after brutal hunting photos released". The Sideshow. Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on May 2, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  36. ↑ "Eric Trump marries Lara Yunaska in Palm Beach wedding". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  37. ↑ Smith, Emily (November 9, 2014). "Eric Trump weds Lara Yunaska at Donald's Mar-a-Lago Club". Page Six. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  38. ↑ "Eric Trump & Lara Yunaska's Wedding Album". People.com. People. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  39. ↑ Puente, Maria (September 12, 2017). "Eric and Lara Trump announce birth of son, POTUS' ninth grandchild". USA Today. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
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