 "Melania, Ivanka, Barron and more: Meet Donald Trump's big American family")
Donald Trump is set to return to the White House, upstaging his Democratic rival Kamala Harris. He has gained over 270 electoral votes, paving the way for him to become the 47th President of the United States.
Born to Frederick Christ Trump Sr and Mary Anne MacLeod, a Scottish immigrant, the 78-year-old Trump will become the US president for a second time. As Trump emerges victorious in the elections, let’s meet his family.
Melania and Barron Trump
Former US first lady Melania Trump is Donald Trump’s third and current wife. Born Melania Knauss in Yugoslavia on April 26, 1970, the supermodel married the Republican leader in 2005.
She maintained a low profile when Trump became the US president in 2017. According to the biography Free, Melania, she “pushed” Trump to run for president.
This time, Melania remained largely absent from her husband’s 2024 campaign trail, appearing only on the last night of the Republican National Convention (RNC). However, she did not give a speech as she had in 2020.
In a memoir released in October, Melania revealed her pro-choice stance on abortion. This was a huge contrast from her husband’s position, who has taken credit for helping to overturn Roe v Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion.
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View AllMelania and Trump’s 18-year-old son Barron stayed out of the limelight during election campaigning.
It was reported in May that Barron would be among the delegates from Florida attending the convention in July, but later Melania said he had declined the offer.
He was present at a Trump rally in Miami in the run-up to the convention, with his father declaring “Welcome to the scene, Barron.”
Barron Trump is currently studying at Stern School of Business at New York University after graduating from Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Florida, in May, reported BBC.
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Donald Trump Junior
Donald Trump Jr is Trump’s eldest child with his first wife, Ivana Trump. He is the executive vice president of the Trump Organization.
As per The New York Times (NYT), he served as a “close political adviser” during Trump’s 2016 presidential bid. He and his brother, Eric Trump, oversaw the Trump Organization at the time of their father’s presidency.
During Trump’s first term in office between 2017 and 2021, his sons Donald Jr and Eric helped him in making key decisions, reported AFP.
Donald Jr, who has emerged as a firebrand figure, has been active in his father’s presidential campaigns. During his 2020 convention speech, he described Joe Biden as “the Loch Ness Monster of the Swamp” and said that Democrats were “attacking the very principles on which our Nation was founded.”
He convinced Trump to pick JD Vance as his running mate for the 2024 presidential bid. “It’s an incredible pick,” Donald Jr said RNC. “Truly a great choice.”
Trump’s eldest son has become a favourite of Make America Great Again (MAGA) voters. Donald Jr is expected to have a major say in the new Trump administration.
As per NBC News, Donald Jr is looking to pick political appointees for his father’s government. A person close to him said he wants to “make sure that good people will get into good places.”
Speaking to The Guardian, Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman, said earlier, “What I’ve heard is that Junior is hugely active behind the scenes and hugely influential behind the scenes and that, if Trump is to win, Junior’s going to be basically the power broker. He’s going to be the big player in the administration.”
Trump’s eldest son was married to Vanessa Haydon from 2005 to 2018, with whom he has five children: Kai, Donald III, Tristan, Spencer and Chloe.
Donald Jr is now engaged to Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News presenter and a vocal supporter of Trump.
Donald Jr’s eldest child, Kai Trump, gained attention during her speech at the RNC about what Trump is like as a grandfather.
“The media makes my grandpa seem like a different person. But I know him for who he is. He is very caring and loving. He truly wants the best for this country. And he will fight every single day to make America great again,” the 17-year-old said.
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner
Ivana Marie “Ivanka” Trump is Trump’s second child with his late first wife Ivana. She has worked with her father at the Trump Organization and even ran her own line of clothing, accessories, handbags and jewellery.
Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, who have three children, played a key role during Trump’s first presidency. Both served as his senior advisers at the White House. Despite nepotism concerns, Ivanka appeared on behalf of her father and his administration several times.
During Trump’s presidency, she and Jared were portrayed as “checks” on some more hard-right figures around the president on issues like immigration policy, as per USA Today.
However, the duo was not active during Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. Ivanka and Jared only appeared on the final night of the RNC but did not speak. Afterwards, they joined Trump on stage with other family members.
After Trump lost the 2020 election, Ivanka and her family moved to Miami. “I am choosing to prioritise my young children and the private life we are creating as a family,” she said in a statement.
Eric and Lara Trump
Eric Frederick Trump is the third and youngest child of Trump and Ivana. Eric is married to Lara Yunaska, a TV producer. The couple was highly involved in Trump’s 2024 campaign.
In fact, Lara Trump served as the co-chair of the Republican National Committee. Speaking at the convention after an assassination attempt on Trump, she said about her father-in-law, “Our family has faced our fair share of death threats… none of that prepares you as a daughter-in-law to watch in real time someone try to kill a person you love.”
Eric, along with his older brother Don Jr, ran the family business when Trump was president. As per reports, he has also lobbied his father about issues important to him, just like his brother.
Both brothers have been active in Trump’s political activities since the 2016 run.
Eric has supported his father’s false claims that the 2020 election was rigged.
Don Jr and Eric’s rise during the 2024 election campaign has coincided with Ivanka and her husband’s declining influence. The brothers are seen as MAGA proponents, signalling populist extremism prevailing within Trump’s family.
“Jared Kushner and Ivanka were never that way. They’re more polite, kind of high society folks so they were never really meshed with the whole MAGA thing. It parallels with who would work for Trump in the second administration. It would all be much more MAGA crazies,” Walsh, a Trump critic, told The Guardian.
Tiffany Trump
Tiffany Trump is the only child Donald Trump shares with his second wife, Marla Maples. She has been married to Michael Boulos since 2022.
Tiffany has not played an active role in her father’s campaigns.
With inputs from agencies
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