Eric Trump said that he and his siblings have never disappointed their father, President Donald Trump, and brushed off nepotism as “kind of a factor of life” in an interview with Forbes published on Tuesday.
“Nepotism is kind of a factor of life,” Trump told Forbes in an interview that took place in February.
Eric Trump said that he and his siblings “might be here because of nepotism” but would not have sustained that status if they “weren’t competent.”
“We’re not still here because of nepotism,” he said.
Eric Trump gave the interview while sitting in an office in Trump Tower, a building with his father’s name on it. He is currently working with his brother Donald Trump Jr. to run his father’s business. His sister, Ivanka Trump, announced in March that she will become an official government employee and take an unpaid position as assistant to the President.
Eric Trump said that his father “expects people to perform” and “kind of encourages them to go on their way” if they fail to do so.
“You know the one thing, Don, Ivanka and I never let him down really in any factor of life,” he said. “And I think it’s one of the reasons that we’re as innately close as we are.”
Eric Trump said that eight years ago, he and his brother “would have been too big of question marks” for their father to do “the presidential thing” and turn over the family company.
“I think hopefully we earned our stripes,” he said. “And I think that’s ultimately why we’re in the seat we’re in.”
