Robert Trump Dead, President’s Brother & Real Estate Developer Dies At 72

Robert Trump has died. The real estate developer and younger brother of President Donald Trump died at age 72, according to a statement from the president on the official White House website.

“It is with heavy heart I share that my wonderful brother, Robert, peacefully passed away tonight. He was not just my brother, he was my best friend. He will be greatly missed, but we will meet again. His memory will live on in my heart forever. Robert, I love you. Rest in peace,” the statement read.

Robert was hospitalized on Friday with an unknown condition, as sources told ABC News that he was “very ill.” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany confirmed the news and also described the good relationship that the two brothers shared. The president was expected to visit his brother on Friday.

Robert was previously hospitalized in June, when he spent more than a week in the Intensive Care Unit of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

Robert Found Success In Business & Real Estate

Born in 1948, Robert is the youngest of the five children born to Fred and Mary Trump, per Business Insider. While keeping a much lower profile than his brother, Robert followed in his footsteps and became a successful real estate developer and business executive himself. After originally working for the Trump Organization by managing its real estate holdings outside of Manhattan, he broke out on his own in a variety of endeavors, including serving on the board of directors of the video game holding company ZeniMax Media and investing in SHiRT LLC, which is one of the owners of the identity security company CertPath. At the time of his death, he was serving as the president of Trump Management, which manages a trust fund whose ownership is split amongst the family.

Robert married twice during his lifetime. He was married to his first wife, Blaine, for 25 years before divorcing in 2007. The couple remained on good terms and she attended her brother-in-law’s inauguration in 2017. Reports at the time claimed that he had been living with his former secretary, Ann Marie Pallan, two years before the divorce was finalized. The couple would eventually wed in March 2020, according to the New York Post.

Robert Sought To Stop The Publication Of Mary Trump’s Recent Tell-All

Since divorcing his first wife, Robert has mostly stayed out of the spotlight and resided in Millbrook, New York. Despite his low profile, he did voice his support for his brother’s presidential ambitions, saying in January 2016 that he supported the campaign “a thousand percent,” per Page Six. While he would not be required on the campaign trail, Robert did offer to assist the campaign if needed.

“If he were to need me in any way, I’d be there. Anything I could do to help,” he said.

Robert’s family brought him back into the news recently, this time when he led a lawsuit that sought to stop the publication of a tell-all memoir by his niece Mary. The family claimed that the book, which was titled Too Much and Never Enough, violated a nondisclosure agreement that she had signed years ago as part of a financial settlement.

At the time of the suit’s filing, Robert said that he was disappointed by Mary’s decision to release the book and that the entire Trump family were “so proud of my wonderful brother, the president.” Mary went on to win the court case and the book was released in July.