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Eric & Lara Trump Want You To Know They’re Totally Normal

by Monica Hunter-Hart
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Of Donald Trump's three sons, Eric tends to receive the littlest attention. He has no position in the Trump administration and generally stays out of the political spotlight, causing ENews to call Eric and Lara Trump "the most normal, least controversial Trump couple." But their proximity to the White House still makes them one of the most powerful couples in the world, so it's worth keeping an eye on them — especially when they do major interviews.

Eric and Lara Trump, his wife of four years, currently live with their newborn son, Luke, in Westchester, a county above New York City in the Hudson Valley. The profile (which eschewed politics to focus on their home and family life) appeared in the local Westchester Magazine.

Eric Trump has not been as much a source of political drama in the past few years as many other members of his family — as E! News put it, "he's been lapped a hundred times in the scandal department." That said, he hasn't totally stayed out of politics (he was a major adviser in his father's first election campaign, for example). And he hasn't been exempted from the criticism that many Americans are eager to dole out to the Trump family.

Comedy shows often play him as the "dumb" Trump child: Alex Moffat parodies him on Saturday Night Live, like when he joked that Eric Trump was afraid of a pop-up book. The first son isn't a fan of this satire, but as he told The Washington Post in March, "Unfortunately it is the price one pays for being in a political family."

Eric Trump does enter the political conversation at times, generally to jump to his father's defense. In January, he argued on Fox & Friends that Donald Trump doesn't "see" race — that he's so focused on the economy that he only "sees one color, green" and that he is "the least racist person I have ever met in my entire life." Eric Trump also made headlines in June 2017 for saying that his father's opponents were "not even people."

Here are seven facts from the Westchester profile you might not have known.

Eric Doesn't Want Tiffany To Be Criticized

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Eric Trump told Westchester Magazine that he expects and accepts criticism for aligning himself with his father. He said that Ivanka and Donald Jr. are also reasonable targets for backlash, but that Barron isn't — and, curiously, that neither is Tiffany.

"We are adults; we’ve developed a bit of an armor," he said of his older siblings, "but Barron and Tiffany should be 100 percent off-limits."

Barron is 12 years old and Tiffany is 24.

Lara Quit Her Job To Join Donald Trump's Campaign

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Lara Trump had been working as an associate producer for Inside Edition, a news and pop culture television show. She quit the position in order to join the 2020 reelection campaign.

They Describe Their Life As "Calm"

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The magazine notes that Eric and Lara Trump tend to spend their weekends at home in Westchester with their dogs and newborn son.

In contrast, the other elder Trump children seem to have more hectic lifestyles. Ivanka Trump lives in Washington, D.C. while working as her father's adviser in the White House, and Donald Trump Jr. lives in Midtown Manhattan.

They Don't Like Things That Are "Too Ornate And Fancy"

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Lara Trump told the magazine that their house is "comfortable" and that she and her husband don't like things that are "too ornate and fancy."

This seems to contrast many other members of the Trump family: The president, for example, opts for gold decor whenever possible, including gold seatbelt buckles on his private plane, gold silk on his bedroom walls, and gold drapes in the Oval Office.

The Family "Pine[s] For The Old Days" Before Politics

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Lara Trump admitted to the magazine that certain members of her family "pine for the old days" before the now-president involved himself in politics.

They Say They Can't Do Anything Without Being "Abused"

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Eric Trump says that he faces daily backlash from the media: "Every day, you get abused by somebody."

"It comes with the territory," he added. "We stood center stage with my father during the campaign and beyond."

Eric Isn't Focused On Politics

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"Family is what matters to me," Eric Trump told the magazine. He said his home and family allow him to engross himself in a life outside of politics (though he often goes on television to defend his father).

He married Lara a year before his father announced his campaign for president, and they had their first child about nine months into his tenure. In this sense, the second Trump says, his father's election occurred at a "perfect turning point" for him.

While much of the Trump family is mired in drama and scandal, Eric and Lara Trump seem to be living a more peaceful existence in their suburban New York manor.