Donald Trump’s Brother Fred Jr. Allegedly Pulled Out Gun on Wife and ‘Laughed at Her Terror’ When Drunk
The Trump family’s history is often shrouded in the grandeur of their business empire and public personas, but beneath the surface lies a tragic and deeply personal story that has molded the lives of its members, particularly former President Donald Trump. The tale of Fred Trump Jr., Donald’s older brother, revealed a dark family secret that once surfaced and highlighted the dynamics of the most powerful families in America. Fred, the first son of Fred Trump Sr., was a man who reportedly struggled under the weight of his family’s expectations. He aspired to be a pilot instead of joining the business. It was during this time he met and married Linda Clapp, despite the disapproval of their father, Fred Trump Sr.
As per The List, the marriage, however, was far from an ideal love story. Fred Jr.’s growing alcoholism, ignited by the immense pressure from his family, began to take a toll on his relationship with Clapp. Their marriage was marred by episodes of instability, one of the most harrowing being an incident where a drunk Fred Jr. allegedly pulled out a gun on his wife and 'laughed at her terror.' This act, on top of other insensitive incidents, such as Fred buying a snake despite his wife's fear of the reptile, pushed their love life into darkness.
Mary Trump, Fred's daughter, highlighted, "They kept going through the motions of their day-to-day lives without acknowledging the problems in their marriage." By 1970, Clapp had apparently reached her saturation point and threw Fred Jr. out of their home, filing for divorce shortly thereafter. Fred Jr.’s agony didn’t end there; his battle with alcoholism ultimately led to his death in 1981 at the age of 42 due to a heart attack.
As per People, the repercussions of Fred Jr.’s death reverberated through the Trump family, especially affecting his younger brother, Donald. In a candid interview, he confessed, “I don’t know what I’d be working, devoting the kind of time and energy and even the money we are allocating to it…I don’t know that I’d be doing that had I not had the experience with Fred.” He further added, “I do regret having put pressure on him…[The business] was just not his thing … I think the mistake that we made was we assumed that everybody would like it.”
The former president admitted, “He did [go to rehab]. A number of times…I don’t think there was much we could do at the time. … Things have been studied and learned right now that are much different.” Melancholicly, he remembered his brother once and shared, “I had a brother, Fred. Great guy, best-looking guy, best personality — much better than mine… But he had a problem. He had a problem with alcohol. And he would tell me: ‘Don’t drink. Don’t drink.’ ” Talking about addiction, he said, “Whenever they’re looking for something, I’m going to say, ‘I never had a glass of alcohol.’ Can you imagine, if I had, what a mess I’d be? Would I be the — I’d be the world’s worst.”
