In an exclusive team-up, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son Eric Trump and his wife, Lara, will accompany the president on his trip next month to China.
As reported by Reuters, Trump’s family, including Eric, was considering joining Trump on his highly anticipated visit to China scheduled for May 14-15, potentially to contribute to U.S.-China business relations.
The spokeswoman said Eric, who manages his father’s business empire, would go in a personal capacity.
“Eric and Lara Trump are proud to accompany the president on his state visit,” said the Trump Organization spokeswoman, Kimberly Benza.
“Eric is deeply proud of his father and the accomplishments of this term and is attending in a personal capacity as a supportive son.”
“He does not have business ventures in China nor plans on doing business in China and will not be participating in private meetings but will instead stand alongside the president to mark this historic occasion,” Benza added.
The move could nonetheless raise concerns in Washington, given that the billionaire ex-developer’s personal wealth and business dealings are managed by his family.
Trump had criticized his Democratic predecessor, President Joe Biden, for his son Hunter accompanying him to China when Biden was vice president.
He accused the younger Biden of using his influence to secure China’s financial backing for his investments.
Additionally, in 2019 Trump publicly invited China to open an investigation into his political rivals.
Eric Trump is executive vice president of the Trump Organization, overseeing investments spanning real estate, golf and blockchain.
While Lara Trump, a former co-chair of the Republican National Committee, hosts Fox News Channel’s “My View with Lara Trump.”
Furthermore, the highly anticipated trip is the first by a U.S. president in eight years and is aimed at maintaining stable relations between Beijing and Washington.
The world’s two largest economies agreed to a truce last year after a bruising period marked by Trump’s tariffs and China’s chokehold on rare-earth exports.
But some U.S. companies had also hoped Trump’s visit could go further than giving a green light for deals on Chinese purchases of soybeans and Boeing aircraft, which are already under consideration.
Notably, the White House and the Chinese embassy in Washington have not confirmed their visit yet.
