Updated Aug 15, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Robert Trump, the president's younger brother, dies at 71

Rebecca Falconer

Republican president-elect Donald Trump hugs his brother Robert Trump after delivering his acceptance speech at the New York Hilton — Robert Trump hugs President Trump after his brother delivered his acceptance speech in New York City in November 2016. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Robert Trump, the younger brother of President Trump, has died, per a White House statement Saturday night. He was 71.

What he's saying: Trump said in the statement, "He was not just my brother, he was my best friend. He will be greatly missed, but we will meet again."

The big picture: The White House confirmed on Friday that Robert Trump had been hospitalized in New York with an unspecified illness and that the president planned to visit him. The Trump Organization executive's cause of death was not disclosed.

The president said at a briefing that day that he hoped his brother would be all right, noting: "He's having a hard time."
Robert Trump was previously in an intensive care unit for over a week in June.

Of note: Robert Trump generally stayed away from the spotlight. However, he filed a lawsuit against Mary Trump, his and President Trump's niece, in an attempt to stop the publication of her tell-all book. But the memoir went on sale last month.

Jack O'Donnell, a former Trump Organization executive, told the New York Times: "He was dignified, he was quiet, he listened, he was good to work with. He had zero sense of entitlement."

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to reflect that Robert Trump is Mary Trump's uncle, not father.

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Robert Trump, the president's younger brother, dies at 71

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