As a rule, I try not to pay too much attention to Kimberly Guilfoyle. News about Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancée tends to be disturbing, terrifying, or just plain icky, and there are already too many actual Trumps living in my head rent-free. But this week, Eric Trump piqued my interest with an odd statement to the New York Post:
Rumors have been swirling that the Trump family “doesn’t like” Don Jr.’s fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle — but Eric Trump says he “thinks the world” of her.
“The vibe is that the family doesn’t like Kim,” says a source. “She is trying too hard to be in the family.”
But Eric told us when we reached out to him for comment, “I completely disagree with the narrative and happen to think the world of Kimberly.”
Eric’s statement, while sort of sweet, is the least convincing declaration of family support since the “Family Love Michael” banner.
The Post goes on to report that Kim and Don Jr. recently hosted a party for Toys for Tots at their Palm Beach, Florida, mansion. About 300 people were in attendance, but key Trumps made themselves scarce:
Former President Donald Trump, we hear, came to the fundraiser for half an hour, but left before a “holiday boat parade.” Eric Trump and his wife, Lara, were also in attendance.
Eric insisted, “I am best friends with Don and had an absolute blast at the party,” but he never seemed like the Trump that Guilfoyle needed to worry about.
Back in October 2019, The Atlantic reported that Donald Trump had been “ambivalent” about Don Jr.’s first wife, Vanessa, who filed for divorce in 2018, and “the president was even less enthusiastic when his son started dating Kimberly Guilfoyle.”
The Fox News host had lobbied to become White House press secretary early in the administration, but Trump had shown little interest, according to two former aides. “Even he can tell the difference between the attractive women on Fox who have a little bit of substance, and those who will be derided as airheads,” one aide said. Now she was gallivanting across the gossip pages with his son, and posing for photos on the South Lawn.
The family was friendly to Guilfoyle in person, but there were signs of disapproval. One source told me that after her attendance at a White House Fourth of July party sparked a round of fawning press coverage — upstaging Jared and Ivanka — Don was contacted by an official informing him that he would need to clear his guests the next time he visited. And as Thanksgiving approached, the president made it known that Guilfoyle wasn’t welcome to join the family at Mar-a-Lago, two Trump associates told me. (Spokespeople for the White House and Don denied this.)
Ivanka Trump revived these old rumors of family discord last month when she cropped Guilfoyle out of a photo from her sister Tiffany Trump’s wedding on Instagram:
Four hours after this post went up, Ivanka ostensibly tried to patch things up by posting the original photo to her Instagram stories with three “smiley face surrounded by hearts” emojis. Then “a source close to Ivanka” told the Daily Mail (not exactly America’s paper of record) that it was “a terrible mistake” and the “very close” pair actually “really have a wonderful relationship.”
Ivanka definitely knows how to send a message with a cleverly staged social engagement when she really wants to. But since the cropping controversy, she hasn’t offered any on-the-record support for Guilfoyle. It appears the Post reached out to her team as well as Eric’s, but this is what they got in place of a personal testimonial about her love for her future sister-in-law:
While Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner did not attend, a source tells us: “They were invited to go, it was [Jewish sabbath] Shabbos. They have a good relationship. It’s just the rumor mill.”
It’s an explanation Jared and Ivanka have used before, and maybe it’s true. But if I were an aspiring Trump looking for reassurance that the family doesn’t hate me, I’d seek out a higher authority than Eric.
More tremendous content
- Trump to Personally Investigate ‘Stolen’ Fort Knox Gold Theory
- HUD TVs Hacked to Play Video of Trump Kissing Musk’s Feet
- Where’s Melania? Maybe in the White House, Maybe Not!
