Donald Trump Says Service For His Dead Brother Robert Might Be At The White House As He Pays Tribute Saying 'He Was My Biggest Fan' And 'A Fantastic Guy'
• Donald Trump, 74, said Monday that he is considering holding a 'small service' at the White House for his brother Robert Trump, who died Saturday at 71-years-old
• Trump said the White House service would be 'appropriate' because Robert 'loved our country so much. He was so proud of what we were doing'
• Trump told Fox & Friends earlier Monday that Robert was his 'biggest fan'
• Robert died in hospital after being visited by the president on Friday afternoon
• Trump paid tribute to his brother Saturday, calling him his 'best friend'
• Robert was admitted to a New York City hospital after reportedly suffering a fall, and was described as 'very ill' and was unable to speak likely from a brain bleed
• He was also hospitalised in New York in June for ten days at Mount Sinai Hospital
• The youngest of the five Trumps was described as low-key, charming and loyal
• Robert initially worked on Wall Street but later joined the Trump Organisation
By KATELYN CARALLE, U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER and JENNY STANTON and KAREN RUIZ and HARRIET ALEXANDER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 17:03, 17 August 2020 | UPDATED: 19:20, 17 August 2020
Donald Trump said Monday that he is considering holding at the White House a small funeral service for his 'biggest fan' and late younger brother Robert on Friday afternoon.
'We're looking at Friday. And we may do just a small service right here in the White House for my brother. We're looking at doing that. That would be, I think, a great honor to him,' Trump told reporters on the South Lawn before boarding Marine One.
'I think he'd be greatly honored,' the president continued. 'He loves our country – he loved our country so much. He was so proud of what we were doing and what we are doing for our country. So, I think it would be appropriate.'
Trump on Monday is visiting Minnesota where he will make remarks on the economy and jobs and then do the same in Wisconsin – on the same day Democrats kick off their four-day convention.
The president's younger brother, Robert Trump, died at age 71 on Saturday – just one day after Trump visited him in the hospital in New York.
Trump told Fox & Friends Monday morning that Robert was his 'biggest fan.'
'When I became president, he was, I think, one of the most loyal people,' the president said of his brother, who was the youngest of the five Trump siblings. 'There was no jealously... There was not an ounce of jealousy.'
'He'd go around talking about how great this is for the country and 'it's so incredible' and he was my biggest fan,' Trump told the Fox News morning show panel.
President Donald Trump told reporters Monday that he is considering holding a 'small' service for his late younger brother Robert Trump at the White House on Friday afternoon
'I think he'd be greatly honoured,' the president said of his brother. 'He loved our country so much. He was so proud of what we were doing... So, I think it would be appropriate'
The White House announced Saturday that Robert Trump, pictured with older brother Donald in 1999, had died. He was admitted to New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan in serious condition
In a rare but brief interview in December, Robert said his brother had been doing 'fantastic', when asked how the president was holding up during his impeachment trial. He is seen above in December 2019
He added: 'People would tell me all the time, 'I spoke to your brother and your brother was so thrilled and so thrilled at what was happening'.'
Although Trump did not say if he wanted to transport Robert’s body to Washington, D.C. for the service, only one known service for a non-president has taken place in the White House.
Willie Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s son, died in February 1862 of typhoid fever aged 11, and his family held a private service in the Green Room before his burial.
Woodrow Wilson’s first wife, Ellen Louise Axson Wilson died of Bright's disease in August 1914, although it is unclear if she had a funeral service in the executive mansion.
Lincoln and fellow assassinated presidents John F. Kennedy and William McKinley all lay in state in the East Room. James Garfield, who was also assassinated, did not have a White House funeral but did lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda.
Other presidents who died while in office, like Franklin Roosevelt, also lay in state at the White House.
In a statement released Saturday night, Trump, 74, said: 'It is with heavy heart I share that my wonderful brother, Robert, peacefully passed away tonight.
'He was not just my brother, he was my best friend,' the president continued. 'He will be greatly missed, but we will meet again. His memory will live on in my heart forever. Robert, I love you. Rest in peace.'
Robert, who reportedly took blood thinners, had suffered recent brain bleeds that began after a recent fall, according to a close friend of the family, who spoke to The New York Times.
Over the past few weeks, he had not been able to speak on the phone, according to the family friend.
Rudy Giuliani, the president's lawyer, was among the first to pay tribute to Robert.
'Robert Trump has a big heart,' he tweeted. 'As a former Mayor I know how much he did to help New Yorkers in need.
'We have lost a really good man. My love, prayers and condolences to the #Trump family.'
Trump told Fox & friends in a call-in interview Monday that Robert was his 'biggest fan'
Trump arrived at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Centre on Friday afternoon wearing a mask to visit his ailing younger brother
Trump left Manhattan on Friday afternoon to fly to Bedminster, New Jersey, having said goodbye to his brother in hospital
From left to right: Robert, Elizabeth, Freddy, Donald and Maryanne Trump. Robert was the youngest of the five siblings
Donald Trump statement on Robert's death
'It is with heavy heart I share that my wonderful brother, Robert, peacefully passed away tonight.
'He was not just my brother, he was my best friend. He will be greatly missed, but we will meet again. His memory will live on in my heart forever.
'Robert, I love you. Rest in peace.'
Eric Trump then tweeted fond memories of his uncle, describing him as 'an incredible man' who was 'strong, kind and loyal to the core.'
Ivanka Trump followed with a tribute on Twitter on Saturday night saying: 'Uncle Robert, we love you. You are in our hearts and prayers, always.'
Donald Trump Jr tweeted Sunday morning: 'Uncle Rob, we love you and we will miss you. RIP.'
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden shared his condolences Sunday morning in a tweet addressed to Donald Trump saying 'Jill and I are sad to learn of your younger brother Robert's passing'.
'I know the tremendous pain of losing a loved one — and I know how important family is in moments like these. I hope you know that our prayers are with you all,' Biden added.
Robert Trump had no children, but he helped raise Christopher Hollister Trump-Retchin, the son of his first wife, Blaine Trump.
Besides the president, he is survived by his second wife, Ann Marie Pallan, and his sisters, Maryanne Trump Barry and Elizabeth Trump Grau.
His brother Fred Trump Jr. died in 1981.
Robert's death came one day after the president visited him in hospital in New York City, where he was said to be suffering from a serious condition.
Trump had been scheduled to travel to his country club in nearby Bedminster, New Jersey for the weekend, but made a stop in Manhattan first to check in on his sibling.
The President was seen leaving the heliport after flying in from New Jersey.
Hospital security guards were seen blocking off access to a street outside the medical center ahead of the president's visit earlier this afternoon.
Trump was wearing a protective face mask as he arrived at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center in Lennox Hill late Friday afternoon.
Robert had been admitted to the hospital and was described as 'very ill', however details of his illness are still not officially confirmed.
During a White House press briefing after his visit to his brother's bedside, the president said his brother was 'having a hard time' but did not elaborate on why he had been hospitalised.
Robert has openly voiced his support for his brother over years. He is pictured hugging Donald on Election Day 2016
Robert, the youngest of the five Trump siblings, was previously hospitalized for ten days at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York in June.
He was admitted to the neurosciences intensive care unit where he was treated for a 'serious condition', the Daily Beast reported.
Around the same time, Robert had filed a lawsuit against his niece Mary Trump, seeking to block her from publishing a tell-all book on the president.
Mary is the daughter of the brothers' eldest sibling, Fred Trump Jr, who struggled with alcoholism and died in 1981 at the age of 43.
Robert filed for an injunction claiming the explosive book, 'Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man', violated the terms of a confidentiality agreement she signed nearly two decades ago.
In a statement to The New York Times in June, he accused his niece of attempting to 'sensationalize and mischaracterize' their family relationship for her own financial gain.
'I and the rest of my entire family are so proud of my wonderful brother, the president, and feel that Mary's actions are truly a disgrace,' Robert said.
The explosive memoir was eventually released last month after a judge agreed to lift a temporary restraining order preventing Mary from publicizing or distributing her work.
The judge said the confidentiality clauses in the 2001 agreement, 'viewed in the context of the current Trump family circumstances in 2020, would offend public policy as a prior restraint on protected speech'.
The younger Trump had openly voiced his support for his brother over the years.
In an interview with Page Six ahead of the 2016 presidential election, Robert said he supported his brother's campaign '1,000 per cent'.'
He was later seen celebrating Donald's victory at the New York Hilton where the then president-elect delivered his acceptance speech.
Robert also spoke out in support of his brother during a brief, but rare interview at LAX airport last December, when Trump had been at the center of an impeachment trial.
When asked how his older sibling was doing, he told the cameraman: 'I think he's doing fantastic,' before getting into the his car.
Robert had also held a senior position in the family business, but unlike his brother, he has generally maintained a low public profile.
He previously served as an executive for Trump Organization where he managed the real estate portfolio outside of Manhattan.
In 2016 Robert told Page Six that he was 'gainfully retired'.
Robert was married to socialite Blaine Trump (pictured) for 25 years until their 2007 divorce. Until his death, he lived in Long Island with wife Ann Marie Pallan
Robert married his former secretary Ann Marie Pallan (center) in March. The two were rumored to be having an affair while he was married to first wife Blaine
He was married to socialite Blaine Trump for 25 years until their 2007 divorce, and until his death served on the board of directors of ZeniMax Media.
The couple's split was widely reported in the tabloids following reports that Robert had been living with his mistress - and now wife - for two years.
Prior to his death, he was based in Long Island where he lived with wife Ann Marie Pallan, his former secretary, who he reportedly married in March.
Despite their split, Robert was said to have remained on good terms with his ex-wife, who reportedly attended Trump's inauguration in 2017.
Robert also has two older sisters.
Elizabeth Trump Grau, 78, is a retired executive from Chase Manhattan Bank, and Maryanne Trump Barry, 83, is a retired federal judge.
Left to right: Blaine Trump, Robert Trump, Donald Trump and Ivana Trump are seen at the Pierre Hotel New York in 1987
Robert Trump and wife Blaine at Halloween AIDS fundraiser, hosted by Magic Johnson in 1993 at Tavern on the Green
As the youngest of the five Trump siblings, Robert was shielded from the pressures placed on the eldest, Fred Jr, and then Donald.
He was never groomed to take over the family real estate company, and was considered by those who knew him to be the inverse of the brash, self-promotional brother who eventually did.
After graduating from Boston University, he first went to work on Wall Street, instead of immediately joining the family business.
But he eventually went to work for his brother as a senior executive at the Trump Organisation.
Robert Trump is pictured with his older brother Donald and then-girlfriend Melania Knauss. Just like his older brother, Robert formerly served as an executive for the Trump Organisation, but managed to keep a relatively low-profile
Trump put Robert in charge of the Atlantic City casino in 1989 - which sparked a huge row. The pair are pictured at a Casino Control Commission meeting in Atlantic City in March 1990
From left: Donald Trump; his father Fred Trump; Blaine Trump and her husband Robert Trump
'You could consider him the quietest of Trumps,' said Michael D'Antonio, a Trump biographer.
'He was glad to stay out of the spotlight.'
Jack O'Donnell, a former Trump Organisation executive who worked closely with the Trump family, told the New York Times that Robert was someone with a natural ease and good humor that his older brother lacked.
'He was dignified, he was quiet, he listened, he was good to work with,' O'Donnell said.
'He had zero sense of entitlement. Robert was very comfortable being Donald Trump's brother and not being like him.'
The pair were not always close.
In 1990, a year after Trump had put Robert in charge of the opening of the Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Trump furiously attacked Robert over problems with the slot machines.
People who knew him said Robert was devastated by the fight with Trump, and the rift between them took years to heal, the New York Times said.
He reconciled with his brother when Trump decided to run for president, according to a person close to the family.
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