Eric Trump has offered a rare glimpse into his family’s private world, reflecting on the demanding upbringing he shared with siblings Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. under the watchful eye of their parents, Ivana and Donald Trump.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Eric described Ivana as “Claudia Schiffer and Lindsay Lohan rolled into one.” He said her firm hand and relentless drive influenced them very much.
Eric adored his mother, and his love for her came through even when he spoke about the “extremely frequent” spankings they got. According to The Irish Star, ” Oh, she spanked the hell out of us. And, honestly, as un-PC as it is today, I can absolutely tell you it worked.”
According to The Irish Star, Eric spoke warmly of his late mother’s determination and independence. “My mother was the strongest human being I’ve ever met,” he said. “She worked her tail off to raise us.”
As for his dad, Eric remembers that Trump put them to work from a young age and paid them minimum wage. He learned valuable lessons from the experience, saying, “I was pouring concrete, I was doing stone work….” He said that today that kind of labor would probably be labeled as abuse. But, it seems as if it prepared him for life.
Eric said that learning to work for a wage taught “the value of a dollar.” The father of two then made an astute observation about raising kids. “The worst thing you can give to Type A children is time and money… Among my group of friends, I don’t have many that haven’t been through rehab.”
Ivana Trump, a Czech-born businesswoman and former model, divorced Donald Trump Sr. in 1992 but remained a powerful presence in her children’s lives
What does Eric Trump think he was dressed up as for Halloween? pic.twitter.com/oOwnC2Stqh
— @MysterySolvent (@MysterySolvents) November 3, 2025
Eric reminisced about his mother, sharing anecdotes about how she gave him bowl cuts and made him wear his sister’s hand-me-downs. He talked about Ivana missing his high school graduation because she didn’t want to miss the Monaco Grand Prix, and how she was “champagne and caviar” while his dad was “meat and potatoes.”
With Trump working crazy hours and Ivana’s unconventional parenting methods, the Trump children had a very “unique childhood. In his book “Under Siege” Eric writes, “It wasn’t wiffle ball [scaled-down baseball] in the backyard every night. I was flying to Atlantic City on helicopters every weekend with Michael Jackson, Don King and Mike Tyson.”
In particular, Eric recalled that while they were growing up, “Ivanka would blame Don (or me) for virtually every mistake she made as a child, including the legendary destruction of a priceless chandelier with a beach ball.”
The conversation also touched on his bond with his siblings, Ivanka and Donald Jr. Eric calls himself the “clean-up guy.” He wants to be the one “handling the hardest moments so the rest of the family don’t have to.”
Surprisingly, the siblings were complimented by one of Trump’s biggest rivals – Hilary Clinton. When asked to say something nice about Number 45, she said, “I respect his children. His children are incredibly able and devoted, and I think that says a lot about Donald.”
