Here’s The Sad and Personal Reason for Why Donald Trump Avoids Drinking Alcohol

Editor's note: This article was originally published on July 24, 2023. It has since been updated.

In an impassioned address on the opioid problem in the United States, Donald Trump revealed the very personal reason he doesn't drink alcohol. Trump reminded the audience of recovering addicts, treatment professionals, and parents of overdose victims about his brother Fred, who passed away in 1981 at the age of 43.

He said, "I had a brother, Fred. Great guy, best-looking guy. Best personality, much better than mine. But he had a problem, a problem with alcohol. And he would tell me, don’t drink. He was substantially older and I listened to him and I respected him. He’s also added, don’t smoke."

Further, he went on to say, "But he would say it over and over again. And to this day I’ve never had a drink. And, I have no longing for it. I have no interest in it. To this day I’ve never had a cigarette. Don’t worry those are only two of my good things — I don’t want to tell you about the bad things. There’s plenty of bad things too." Trump thinks his brother's tragic death might serve as a warning to young people about the dangers of drug use. In fact, he has been far more transparent about the personal sorrow that has caused him to avoid "demon rum."

Trump's elder brother Freddy Jr. died suddenly in 1981, at the age of 43. He probably had a heart attack that was brought on by his heavy drinking. The circumstances of his death—at such a young age—would be shocking enough to make anybody want to take steps to ensure that it never happens to them or anyone they care about. All of this is described in full in 'Too Much And Never Enough', a book his niece wrote about Trump, as reported by The Thing.

In a May 2015 interview onboard his own Boeing 757 airplane, then-candidate Trump gushed over his elder brother Fred to Daily Mail, calling him "the greatest guy I knew, and I knew a lot of great guys." He said, "But it just broke my heart the way he died. It was ridiculous if you think about it. He had so much in front of him. So much. This is why I don't drink, ever. I just don't do it." In a low voice, devoid of any confidence, Trump remarked, "Fred told me not to, and I saw what happened to him when he didn't follow his own advice."

In 2017, at the U.N. Function in New York, the sighting of Trump with a wine glass in his hand caused a social media frenzy. Trump joined in on the toasts during a luncheon given by the UN Secretary General, where he also gave a speech. At least twice during the meal, he was seen taking "a sip" from his glass before handing it off to an assistant, as reported by The Telegraph. There was some conjecture that the wine in his glass could really have been grape juice or his preferred Diet Coke, but in any case, he clearly didn't drink nearly enough to become drunk.