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During an interview on Theo Von’s “This Past Week,” podcast, President Donald Trump discussed the memory of his brother Fred Trump, and how witnessing his brother’s struggle with alcoholism led him to avoid alcohol altogether.
He stated, “I had a great brother who taught me, he said ‘Don’t drink.’”
Trump went on to explain, “He had a problem with alcohol,” and shared how he admired his brother for being a talented pilot but sadly watched him have to give up flying because of drinking.
He also pointed out that Fred developed a problem in college and their family recognized it, witnessing the difficulties that he faced. “This is not unique,” Trump said. “This is a very common story, unfortunately.”
“I’m in recovery,” Von admitted. He described how he struggled to remain sober for a decade. “I go to recovery meetings,” he went on. “I’ve had stints where I go back on.”
The 45th president noted, “They say alcohol is harder to get off of than drugs.”
Von agreed, noting that alcohol is harder to avoid because it is openly accepted and promoted in American culture.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH), 23 percent of Americans surveyed in 2023 admitted to binge drinking within the past month.
During the pandemic, alcohol consumption increased by the highest level in 50 years and alcohol-related deaths also went up, according to the National Institutes of Health.
In 2020 Americans witnessed unprecedented government reactions that affected their everyday lives, including questionable changes in product placement. Salad bars were shut down at grocery stores and replaced with booze bins. Gas stations placed alcohol bottles at their counters, and various in-person support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) were shut down, cutting off an essential lifeline for people seeking to combat their addiction issues.
The NIH reported that over 178,000 Americans die due to alcohol-related complications each year.
A.A. has resumed their community support groups, serving an estimated 1,350,415 Americans, per Alcoholics Anonymous as of 2021, but addiction issues are still prevalent in every state across the nation.
In order to put America First, the most pressing challenges that hit the closest to home must be addressed. President Trump expressed the importance of discussing this serious issue on a personal level with Von.
The 45th president also divulged the tragedy of a college friend who drank alcohol to fit in, even though he didn’t like it. “He became an unbelievable alcoholic,” Trump went on, noting that his friend died because of alcoholism. “He couldn’t live without it.”
He stated, “The reason it’s good talking about it, is it might help other people. If it helps one other person it’s worth a conversation, frankly.”
“I’ve never had a cigarette, and I’ve never had a glass of alcohol,” Trump confessed. He attributed his sobriety to his brother Fred.
Von noted that hearing the stories of other people who have struggled with addiction and alcoholism has helped him through his efforts to live a sober life.
Trump then said, “I couldn’t have been successful if I had that problem.”
“Sometimes our older brothers, they kind of like, they take the speed bumps for us, like as younger brothers so that we don’t have to.” Von spoke of how his older brother helped to teach him to avoid certain dangers.
Trump agreed but added that it doesn’t just have to be a brother. “You can see if you have a friend who’s an alcoholic,” he said. “Or even just by reading about people you can learn.”
Von called it a “blessing” to have people to learn from to break the addiction cycle. The conversation was a candid display of one of America’s common issues, providing more insight into the dangers of alcoholism and how it should be avoided.
