Fred Trump Jr.: The tragic story of Donald Trump's brother who died at the age of 42

Donald Trump was announced the next President of the United States by the Associated Press on 6 November 2024. He defeated his opponent Kamala Harris, who could have been the first female president, in a tight race.

The months leading up to election day saw an unprecedented chain of events—from Trump's conviction in the Stormy Daniel's hush money case and the attempted assassination attacks made on him, to Biden dropping out, and Harris taking his place.

The whole world had their eyes fixed on the United States, on Donald Trump, and his family. So much so that a film was made and released about his rise to power—The Apprentice. The film went into his family life, shining light on the tragic story of his older brother Fred Jr. who was supposed to take over the Trump family business. Instead, he had a rather tragic ending.

Fred Jr. was supposed to take over the family business

Donald Trump was born in 1946 as the son of Frederick Christ Trump Sr. and Mary Anne McLeod. He has a total of four siblings - his two sisters Elizabeth Trump Grau and Maryanne Trump Barry, who has since passed away, his younger brother Robert Steward Trump and his eldest brother, Frederick Christ 'Freddy' Trump Jr.

As the eldest son, Fred Jr. was actually considered the clear successor in the management of the family business. However, Donald Trump's brother, who was born in 1938, had little interest in this - he would much rather become a pilot. This led to tension between his father Fred Sr., who was known to be a ruthless man, and his brother Fred.

Eventually, it was the younger brother who integrated into the family business and took the reigns.

An addiction that ended tragically

Things went increasingly downhill for Fred Jr. after that—he became addicted to alcohol. This ultimately led to his tragic death in September 1981. He died from a heart attack when he was only 42 years old.

It is only speculation that pressure from his father may have influenced his fate. In any case their strained relationship affected Fred's own children as Fred Sr. had them removed from his will. It has been reported that the early death of his brother left a lasting impression on Donald Trump—who has largely stayed away from alcohol in his life.

This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag DE.

Read more:

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Sources used:

People Magazine: Donald Trump's Family Tree: All About His Parents, Siblings, Wives and Children

Welt: Family tragedy: The moment Donald Trump shows remorse