Donald Trump reveals the four golden rules to parenting that he gave son Barron while growing up
Donald Trump recently gave people a rare look into his private life as a father. During an appearance on a political podcast called Pod Force One, he opened up about how he raised his five children and shared the key advice he always gave them while they were growing up. His approach was simple and firm, and he said he repeated the same rules again and again, hoping they would stick.
He said that from the time his kids were young, he always told them four main things: don’t do drugs, don’t drink alcohol, don’t smoke cigarettes, and try to stay away from tattoos. Trump explained that while he wasn’t overly strict about the tattoo rule, he still suggested avoiding them. He added that many people have tattoos and that’s their choice, but he felt it was something his kids would be better off without. Still, his biggest focus was always on staying away from alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs.
Trump mentioned that he repeated this advice constantly, even to the point where his daughter Ivanka would sometimes get tired of hearing it. She would ask him why he kept saying the same thing over and over, and Trump would tell her that he planned to keep saying it for the rest of her life. He believed that the message was important enough to never stop repeating.
The reason behind this strict advice came from a personal tragedy. Trump’s older brother, Fred Trump Jr., struggled with alcoholism and died young—at the age of 42—in 1981. Fred had warned Donald not to drink or smoke, and Donald took that advice very seriously. He says he’s never touched alcohol or cigarettes in his life because of what he saw happen to his brother. Back then, he said, drugs weren’t really something people talked about much, but he’s sure that if his brother were around today, he would have warned against those too.
Trump explained that his brother had a great personality and so much potential, but alcohol ruined his life. Because of that, Trump has always felt a responsibility to pass on that lesson to his own children. He strongly believes that avoiding those habits leads to a better and healthier life.
As for whether his children followed his rules, the results are a bit mixed. Barron, his youngest son, doesn’t drink—though that’s partly because he’s still under the legal age. Donald Jr., Eric, Ivanka, and Tiffany have all been seen drinking at some point, especially when they were younger. However, over time, things have changed. Donald Jr. has since given up alcohol. Eric has said he isn’t much of a drinker anyway. Tiffany just became a mother, so her party days are behind her. It’s not clear whether Ivanka drinks, but none of them are known to drink heavily or have problems with substances.
Trump’s advice may have seemed repetitive to his kids, but it clearly came from a place of love and concern. He saw how addiction tore apart someone close to him, and he wanted to make sure his own children didn’t go down the same path. Whether or not they always followed the rules perfectly, it’s clear that they understood why he kept repeating them.
