Former President Donald Trump has said that he does not want his children to serve in his administration again, should he win a second term in the White House.
During an unusually tough interview on Fox News with host Bret Baier on Monday night, Trump admitted that the toll on his family had been too great.
‘I said, that’s enough for the family. You know why? It’s too painful for the family. My family has been through hell,’ he said.
‘I mean, they have – Eric, my son, who’s a fine boy. You know him very well. He’s a fine young man, good student, good everything, comes in. We’re doing beautifully. Then I decide to run for president. I mean, I don’t think anybody in the world in history has ever had more subpoenas sent to him,’ Trump ranted.
‘Nobody has been through what my family has been through. Ivanka had a really successful line of clothing, I mean, making a fortune. When I did this, she was really – she closed it up. She sort of felt she had to, but she closed it up,’ Trump said.
Former President Donald Trump has said his children won’t serve in his administration again if he manages to secure a second term in the White House
Trump acknowledged the toll that public service had taken on his family, stating: ‘That’s enough for the family. It’s too painful. My family has been through hell.’ From left, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump seen in a photo from July 2014
Ivanka Trump, 41, shut down her clothing brand in July 2018 while working as a White House adviser in her father’s administration.
During his presidency Ivanka together with her husband, Jared Kushner, both held senior adviser positions which drew criticism for their involvement in the government, considering their relative inexperience at the time of their appointments.
Although some members of Trump’s family have been present at recent campaign events for a potential second term, others have been notably absent.
Ivanka Trump previously stated in November 2022 that she was finished with politics and would not be part of her father’s 2024 campaign.
‘I love my father very much. This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family. I do not plan to be involved in politics,’ the former first daughter said in a statement posted to Instagram.
During an unusually tough interview on Fox News with host Bret Baier on Monday night, Trump admitted that the toll on his family had been too great
Ivanka Trump previously stated in November 2022 that she was finished with politics and would not be part of her father’s 2024 campaign
‘While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena,’ she added. ‘I am grateful to have had the honor of serving the American people and I will always be proud of many of our administration’s accomplishments.’
Melania Trump, Trump’s third wife, has also rarely been seen at his events since the launch of his campaign.
Eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. remains a vocal ally of his father in conservative media and continues to host his own podcast.
His younger brother, Eric Trump, joined his father at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, for his first speech after the federal indictment.
Ivanka, Eric, and Donald Jr. are facing legal risks as part of the Trump family business in a civil suit filed by the New York attorney general.
Ivanka Trump, 41, shut down her clothing brand in July 2018 while worked as a White House adviser. Ivanka Trump and her son Theodore seen in November 2022
Melania Trump, Trump’s wife, has also rarely been seen at his events since the launch of his campaign
Lara Trump, left, waves alongside husband Eric, right, followed by Barron Trump, back left, and Jared Kushner, back right, last November when her father announced his election campaign
During Monday night’s interview Baier brought up a statement Trump made in 2016 where he said he would surround himself with ‘the best and most serious individuals.’
Baier then reeled off a list of several former administration officials who are now either running against or criticizing Trump, including Bill Barr who as attorney general refused to wade into his claims of election fraud.
Trump defended his hiring methodology stating how for each official who spoke out against him, there were ten who supported him.
‘Why did you hire all of them in the first place?’ Baier asked.
‘Because I hired 10-to-one that were fantastic, Trump said. ‘For every one you say, I have 10 that love us,’ he insisted.
Trump also went on to reiterate his belief he had the right to keep documents at Mar-a-Lago explaining how he had not handed them over because he wanted to retrieve his personal belongings from the boxes in which they were stored.
The interview was the first time Trump had given a one-to-one since appearing in federal court in Miami last week, where he pleaded not guilty to federal criminal charges related to classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump was formally presented with 37 charges brought by the federal government following an FBI search of his Florida mansion last August.
The Department of Justice accuses Trump of violating the Espionage Act and other laws when he removed classified documents upon leaving office and failed to give them up to the National Archives.
Trump said he had been too ‘busy’ to sort through the documents.
Fox News, which had largely backed Trump throughout his presidency, agreed in April to a $787.5 million settlement in a lawsuit launched by voting technology company Dominion which accused the news behemoth of promoting Trump’s election fraud claims while knowing they were untrue.
