Eric Trump: "My father's life became exponentially worse the minute he decided to run for president" [View all]

[Miles Archer]

Eric says that overall, the people of Westchester have been very supportive of his family, with he and his spouse the frequent targets of impromptu selfies with locals. Yet, the Westchester Trumps find themselves at the epicenter of the most divisive political climate in modern history nonetheless. And whether one feels this climate began prior to his father’s ascendancy or directly because of it, Eric remains philosophical. “Every day, you get abused by somebody,” he says, referring to certain segments of the media, “and the next thing you know, you’re being parodied on Saturday Night Live. It comes with the territory. We stood center stage with my father during the campaign and beyond.” That said, he insists that he, Ivanka and Donald Jr. are fair game but that 12-year-old Barron and 24-year-old Tiffany are not. “We are adults; we’ve developed a bit of an armor,” he says, “but Barron and Tiffany should be 100 percent off-limits.”

So, then, the question becomes: Is it ever too much? To this, Lara confesses, there are times when some of her family members “pine for the old days” (though Lara did leave her associate producer job at TV’s Inside Edition to join the president’s 2020 re-election campaign). Eric, meanwhile, is quick to say that “there would be far fewer headaches if it weren’t for politics,” but it’s all worth it “when you know you’re in it for the right reasons,” he adds, adopting a more measured conversational tone. “My father’s life became exponentially worse the minute he decided to run for president. He didn’t need to do this, but he was immensely frustrated with where the country was going.”

From the glass-half-full department, Eric adds that any upheaval that resulted from his father’s election came, for him, at a “perfect turning point.” His secure private life provides a stable base, allowing him to focus both on his job with The Trump Organization and being with his nuclear family. When Eric says, “Family is what matters to me,” one can easily detect the sincerity. He scrolls through his phone to find his “favorite video in the world,” which is customarily adorable footage of his son in some sort of “bouncy” swing.

http://www.westchestermagazine.com/Westchester-Magazine/June-2018/Briarcliff-Eric-Lara-Trump-Family-Live-in-Westchester/