When Donald Trump Said Sobriety Was Among His ‘Only Good Traits’ and Some Disagreed, Including Kimmel

Donald Trump, former President of the United States, is popular for his larger-than-life personality, controversial statements, and often contentious public persona. Among his numerous claims, one that stands out is his staunch assertion of lifelong sobriety, which he has described as one of his "only good traits." However, this claim has been well-mocked by the late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel back then. In a press conference, once Trump remarked, “I'm not a drinker. I can honestly say I've not had a beer in my life. That's one of my only good traits. I don't drink. I’ve never had alcohol, you know, for whatever reason. Can you imagine if I had what a mess I'd be?”

Trump’s sobriety claims originate from a deeply personal place. He has often referenced the tragic fate of his older brother, Fred Trump Jr., who died at the age of 43 due to complications from alcoholism. Fred’s battle with alcohol left an indelible mark on Donald, who resolved to abstain from alcohol entirely. In an interview, he confessed, “I had a brother who suffered tremendously from alcoholism and alcohol. And it was a terrible thing to watch. He was an incredible guy with the best personality. He was the best-looking person you have ever seen. Everything was perfect. But he had an addiction.”

This personal tragedy is something Trump has brought up on several occasions. He once said, “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.” Trump still regrets and battles with the ifs and buts of life. As per People magazine, he remarked, 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.”

However, Kimmel, the witty host of Jimmy Kimmel Live, couldn’t resist mocking Trump in disbelief. In his monologue, he exclaimed, “I don't know. Maybe he'd be better. It's worth a shot. By the way, I feel like it's worth mentioning that this guy who has never had a drink in his life once had his own brand of vodka with his name on it. That’s kind of all you need to know about him. After the Kavanaugh hearing last week, it was really hard to enjoy a beer this weekend. Imagine being so off the rails, you even surprised Donald Trump with something,” as reported by ABC News.

Back then, Kimmel’s mockery came in the wake of Brett Kavanaugh’s bashing due to his past drinking habits. Trump was taken aback by the candidness of Kavanaugh and the way he declared his inclination toward alcohol consumption. He asserted, “I was surprised at how vocal he was about the fact that he likes beer. He's had a little bit of difficulty. I mean, he talked about things that happened when he drank. This is not a man that said alcohol was absent.” Moreover, in his consistent narrative about his brother, Fred, he also confessed, “He did [go to rehab]. Several 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…I saw what alcohol did to him even physically …. and that had an impact on me, too.”