The Real Reason Donald Trump Jr. Stopped Drinking Alcohol

This article includes mentions of alcoholism.

Like father, like son. It probably comes as no surprise that Donald J. Trump and his namesake, Donald Trump Jr., share many similar characteristics. "Don is a chip off the old block," former White House and Trump campaign staffer Cliff Sims once told the Washington Post about the father-son duo and their striking similarities. "He's a savage on Twitter and a force of nature on the stump."

But make no mistake. Their similarities don't just end with their Twitter temperaments and particular brand of political persona. In his 2019 book, "Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us," Don Jr. revealed that just like his famous patriarch, he, too, has chosen to abstain from alcohol completely. "One thing about us Trumps is that we have plenty of willpower," he declared within the confines of the New York Times best seller. "I would come to find that it was easier for me to ignore alcohol than it was to try to control it. Eventually, I would give up drinking for good."

Don't get it twisted. Donald Trump Jr. is adamant that he enjoyed alcohol throughout his college years. However, it eventually became apparent that he had no off switch when it came to drinking. "Once I got going, it wasn't easy to stop me — which, when you're in college, isn't a huge problem, as long as you're getting your work done," he recalled in his book "Triggered." 

But sometime after taking a job as a bartender in Aspen, he realized it was time to put his partying days and ways behind him. "Once I started thinking about a career and a life beyond school, it was. To be honest, I didn't know how to drink in moderation," he confessed. He ultimately realized that his "all-or-nothing personality" was great for his business acumen but was "not so good for vices." He added, "With my personality, drinking alcohol was a recipe for disaster."

And it appears that Don Jr.'s famous father, Donald J. Trump, shares the same sentiments about mixing alcohol with his own compulsive, pedal-to-the-metal nature. "I never had alcohol, for whatever reason," he once declared to a group of people in the White House Rose Garden. "Can you imagine if I had? What a mess I would be. I would be the world's worst," he joked.

Donald Trump Jr. also noted in his book, "Triggered," that his decision to quit drinking for good was also heavily influenced by "warning signs" within his family, namely the death of his uncle, Frederick Trump Jr. The story goes that Fred Jr. died of a heart attack due to alcoholism when he was only 42 years old. 

Meanwhile, Donald J. Trump has also never been one to shy away from publicly discussing his late brother's alcoholism disease. "He was a great guy, a handsome person. He was the life of the party. He was a fantastic guy, but he got stuck on alcohol," Trump divulged to People in 2015 about his older brother's struggles. "And it had a profound impact, and ultimately [he] became an alcoholic and died of alcoholism. He would tell me, 'Don't drink ever.' He understood the problem that he had and that it was a very hard problem."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).