Eric Trump, son of US President Donald Trump, along with his wife Lara, will accompany the president on his upcoming state visit to China scheduled for May 14-15. This was confirmed by a spokeswoman for the Trump family organization on Tuesday.
Earlier reports indicated that several members of the Trump family, including Eric, were considering joining the trip to potentially support US-China business relations. However, the spokeswoman clarified that Eric Trump will attend solely in a personal capacity.
“Eric and Lara Trump are honored to accompany the president on this historic state visit,” stated Kimberly Benza, spokeswoman for the Trump Organization. She emphasized that Eric is proud of his father’s achievements during his term and will be there as a supportive son. Importantly, Eric has no business ventures in China nor plans to engage in any, and he will not participate in any private meetings during the visit.
Despite this, the presence of a family member on such a significant diplomatic trip could raise concerns in Washington, given that President Trump’s personal wealth and business interests are managed by his family. This situation draws parallels to past controversies, such as when President Trump criticized then-Vice President Joe Biden for his son Hunter Biden’s visit to China, accusing him of leveraging his position to secure Chinese financial backing for his investments. The Biden family has denied any wrongdoing.
In a notable past event, President Trump publicly invited China to investigate his political opponents in 2019, a move that attracted widespread attention. The Chinese embassy in Washington has not issued any comment regarding Eric Trump’s participation in the upcoming visit.
