You might think former Republican President Donald Trump's children are spoiled brats who've never actually worked a day in their lives.
But according to Trump's middle son Eric, you are dead wrong.
Not only is he a hard worker, but he was also cutting rebar on construction sites while you were learning your fifth-grade algebra equations.
Eric Trump made the claims, without irony, in a recent interview filmed just hours after his father was searched by the FBI.
See his comments below.
\u201cEric Trump says he worked minimum wage jobs since he was 11 years old on constructions sites cutting rebar, working a backhoe, clearing trees, and doing electrical and plumbing work.\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1660146685
Eric Trump claimed whenever he wanted something like a new bike as a child, his father would make him work on his construction sites—which if true would have been a violation of numerous labor laws and safety regulations.
Eric Trump said his father would tell him:
“Congratulations, you’re going out with construction guys to cut rebar … you’re going to hop on a backhoe, you’re going to dig holes, you’re going to grab a chainsaw, you’re going to clear down trees from a storm, you’re going to do electrical work and plumbing work … we were on job sites."
"We were 11 years old, paid minimum wage, learning a trade. That was expected.”
Hey at least his father supposedly paid him minimum wage—pretty generous for a guy infamous for sometimes not paying workers at all.
At first blush of course this story is preposterous.
But the more you sit with it, does it really sound out of character Trump would make his children work highly skilled, incredibly dangerous and wildly illegal labor as punishment for asking him for things like a new bike?
Regardless, people on Twitter weren't buying it—especially those who actually work in construction.
\u201c@RonFilipkowski I've been in construction most of my life, nobody that cuts rebar operates a backhoe and does electrical and plumbing in the same decade.\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1660146685
\u201c@RonFilipkowski Wait a minute. Did he just admit that his daddy\u2019s business broke child labor laws\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1660146685
\u201c@RonFilipkowski And I am am astronaut from Madagascar.\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1660146685
\u201c@RonFilipkowski My family has been in for construction for generations. \n\nWe would NEVER allow our 11 yr. olds to "cut rebar, working a backhoe and doing electrical and plumbing work."\n\nPerhaps that's why we are still in business today. \u263a\ufe0f\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1660146685
\u201c@RonFilipkowski Wait a minute. Did he just admit that his daddy\u2019s business broke child labor laws\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1660146685
\u201c@RonFilipkowski Federal law sets a 14-year-old minimum age for most jobs, and higher ages for some work, such as driving trucks, so is he telling us that his father used child labor illegally???\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1660146685
\u201c@RonFilipkowski The construction site.\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1660146685
\u201c@pmginmyhead @RonFilipkowski He went to boarding school in PA. That's a helluva commute for an 11-year-old.\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1660146685
\u201c@RonFilipkowski Eric Trump has never worked a day in his life.\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1660146685
\u201c@RonFilipkowski My dad owned a construction company. He didn\u2019t have 11 year olds on the payroll. \ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\n\nOSHA would have had a few words for him.\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1660146685
As on-brand as this sort of bonkers cruelty may be for Donald Trump, this is from the same interview in which Eric Trump claimed his father and family are devout Christians with a direct line to God, who helped his father beat Hillary Clinton in 2016.
So we can probably safely assume this story is as equally fallacious as that one.
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram