Robert Trump, the younger brother of President Trump, has died aged 71. He had been hospitalized for several days, but no details have so far been released regarding the cause of his illness. Robert's death was announced via the White House with the president releasing a heartfelt message:
"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."
The president's brother was a firm supporter who nonetheless stayed out of the limelight. It is only in recent weeks that he made the papers when he became involved in a lawsuit with his niece Mary Trump in an effort to prevent the publication of her book.
Eric Trump wrote that he was an "incredible man - strong, kind and loyal to the core. He will be deeply missed by our entire family."
In Donald Trump's 1987 book, The Art of the Deal, the president wrote that, "Robert gets along with almost everyone, which is great for me since I sometimes have to be the bad guy." He also wrote that, "I think it must be hard to have me for a brother but he's never said anything about it and we're very close."
This seems indicative of the relationship between the two men. When President Trump first began his run for the presidency, Robert opined that he supported his brother "10,000 percent." Yet he remained largely silent over the last few years, refusing to get involved in political punditry.
Robert began his business career working in corporate finance on Wall Street, only later joining the Trump organization. Gwenda Blair, a biographer of the Trump family, spoke to the Associated Press, saying, "When he worked in the Trump Organization he was known as the nice Trump… Robert was the one people would try to get to intervene if there was a problem."
In Trump Revealed: The Definitive Biography of the 45th President, the authors wrote that Robert "lacked Donald's charismatic showmanship, and he was happy to leave the bravado to his brother, but he could show flashes of Trump temper."
Donald Trump's older brother, Fred Trump, died in 1981 after a long struggle with alcohol. He was just 43 years old.
