Donald Trump, I think we can all agree at this point, is a larger than life character. Large in stature, large in persona, exceedingly large when it comes to influence.
It makes sense then, that he is the patriarch of a rather large family. Ironically contrasted to the conservative values he’s preached at times in the past, the president has five children with no less than three different women.
The eldest of his children, Donald Jr., will turn 48 later this year. His youngest, Barron Trump, is 19. In turn, his extensive brood have given him 11 grandchildren, ensuring that the Trump name, legacy, and potential for the future is stronger (at the very least if we’re speaking numerically) than it has ever been.
A fair few of the Trump clan have risen to become influential, high-profile figures in their own right. Sure, it can be argued that they owe their status, wealth, and power to the business and political juggernaut who now calls himself POTUS, but my point is almost all of his children have found success enough to effectively become celebrities in their own right.
Yet in amongst the most recent generation of Trumps – Donald’s grandchildren – are characters who have yet to be placed on the Machiavellian chessboard. That is to say there are Trumps who are currently too young to find themselves dominating headlines and being wielded by the Don as he wages his various battles.
But that’s not to say they aren’t entirely incapable of winding up becoming subjects of media interest for one reason or another.
One of Trump’s grandchildren, Spencer, son of Donald Trump Jr. and his ex wife, Vanessa Trump, just turned 13, and in short order was given a small taste of what one can expect online when they’re born with arguably one of the most famous second names on the planet.
Before we go any further, we’ll lay out the obvious: Spencer Trump is entirely innocent of any wrongdoing, perceived or otherwise. He’s a 13-year-old kid, after all, very likely living his young life in a similar manner to any other newly-turned teen.
His father, Donald Trump Jr., however, has managed to spark some amount of outrage online after a birthday post through which he wished his son a happy birthday.
Yesterday, Don Jr. took to Instagram – where he has over 10 million followers – and did what any proud parent would do to ring in their child’s big day: he shared a 12-photo post to mark Spencer’s milestone birthday.
“Happy birthday to the littlest of my little men. Spencer, I can’t believe you’re 13 and I hope you have an awesome day buddy,” Don Jr. wrote.
“I love you so much. I can’t wait to get back into the outdoors with you. You make me very proud.”
Nothing untoward on the face of it, nothing that could be interpreted as controversial, one might be inclined to think.
Well, there are those prepared to argue otherwise. Three of the photos in question featured Spencer out and about with hunting rifles, which was enough to prompt backlash from those who clearly take umbrage to the idea of a 12-year-old being schooled in the art of wielding a weapon.
“Not even 13 and you threw a gun in his arms. Truly sick. There is no reason a young man today needs to kill an animal for food,” one person wrote on Instagram.
Another added: “You’re a sorry excuse for a human – not happy unless you’re killing some innocent animals.”
Anyone familiar with Don. Jr will know this isn’t the first time he’s caught flack in relation to his apparent love of hunting. The BBC reported back in 2019 that he embarked on a hunting trip to Mongolia said to have cost US taxpayers over $75,000.
That same year, an investigation undertaken by ProPublica claimed that Don Jr. had shot dead a rare Argali mountain sheep, a kill for which he retroactively secured hunting permission from the Mongolian government.
Earlier this year, meanwhile, he and his team were accused of killing a protected Ruddy Shelduck in a conservation zone in Venice, Italy. Italian prosecutors launched an investigation at the time, though Trump Jr and co. denied wrongdoing.
What do you make of criticisms against Don Jr. letting his son hold a hunting rifle? Let us know in the comments.
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