Donald Trump’s older brother, Fred Trump Jr., had a tough go. It left a huge mark on the former president’s life. The oldest son, Fred Jr., was supposed to take over the family’s business from the start. The business was in real estate.
The problem accelerated when he stood up for himself and started building his career as a pilot. This change caused significant friction within the Trump family. Mostly between Donald’s father, Frederick Trump Sr., and his brother Fred Jr. Annamaria Schifano, one of Fred Jr.’s friends, recalled the about sibling rivalry.
“Donald put Freddy down quite a bit. There was a lot of combustion,” she revealed to The New York Times . Schifano explained that the brothers constantly fought. She also shared that it was Donald who often instigated the conflicts. Fred Jr. eventually went on to pursue his dream. He received no support from his family. Later, he got married to Linda Clapp in 1962. They welcomed two children. On the surface, his life seemed to be unfolding as he had imagined it would. In reality, he was struggling with alcohol addiction . By the 1970s, Fred Jr. had gotten divorced. This setback in his marriage pushed him back to living with his parents again, as per Nickiswift .
Donald Trump spoke on his brother Fred Jr. who suffered from addiction and died at the young age of 42 Fred Trump Jr’s dark secrets: 10 facts that will blow your mind! Rare history #news pic.twitter.com/f0POatHELv
— Bay Area Super fans (@ScumbagPolite) June 6, 2024
Tragically, in 1981, at the age of 42, Fred Jr. passed away due to a heart attack associated with alcohol misuse. Since his brother’s death, Donald has only shared glimpses of Fred Jr.’s struggles and their relationship. Though they had their share of troubles, Donald once acknowledged the immense pressure he exerted on his older brother.
“My father had great confidence in me, which maybe even put pressure on Fred,” he confessed to The Washington Post . He also expressed regret, saying, “I do regret having put pressure on him.” The former president recognized that the business was simply not what Fred Jr. wanted to do. He admitted, “I think the mistake that we made was we assumed that everybody would like it.”
THEN, read @MaryLTrump ‘s book of how Donald Trump and his father Fred Trump hounded her father (Donald’s brother), Freddy Trump, to an early death. Fred Trump detested his eldest son’s career choice: to be a PILOT vs. Real Estate mogul. Now you know. @TrumpDailyPosts pic.twitter.com/fzV7N9IpZO
— Brainy1986 (@Brainy1986) June 5, 2024
Fred Jr.’s death from alcoholism hit Donald really hard. In 2017, Donald talked about the opioid crisis and how he’d seen addiction harm people firsthand. Donald spoke fondly of his brother’s personality, describing him as “the best-looking guy, best personality, much better than mine.” He said his brother Fred Jr. told him not to drink, and he listened. That’s why he doesn’t drink or smoke, all thanks to his brother’s advice.
While nobody is sure what really led to Fred Jr.’s addiction, Donald hopes it wasn’t because of family pressure. “I hope not. I hope not,” he told The New York Times when asked if the burdens contributed to Fred Jr.’s struggles. Years later Donald opened up about the “dark family secret” of his brother’s death after years of alcoholism in an interview with The Washington Post .
The former president credited his brother’s experience as a driving force behind his efforts to combat the opioid epidemic during his presidency.
