Donald Trump Jr. & Eric Trump's Body Language Has This Clear Sibling Dynamic
There's no relationship quite like tight-knit brothers, and the Trump siblings prove that. While Ivanka Trump may be busying her time as one of her father's senior advisers, her brothers are spending their days running the Trump Organization's empire. However, Donald Trump Jr. vs. Eric Trump's body language proves that there's still some sibling rivalry between the two brothers. After all, there's nothing wrong with a little friendly competition right?
To figure out what makes these two Trump boys tick, Elite Daily spoke with body language expert Blanca Cobb to get the inside scoop on the two Trump heirs. Don Jr. may be the older of the two brothers, but that doesn't mean he's the only one in charge. Once their father, Donald Trump, won the presidency and moved to the White House, his two sons decided to take the family business under their wings, so to speak. Even though this first family has proven time and time again that they're a unit that sticks together, there's no denying that a family this large is full of different personalities. Clearly Eric Trump and Don Jr. are great business partners, but their body language can also speak volumes about their family dynamic.
The two brothers clearly have some sibling rivalry...
When there's two brothers running the same business, there has to be some friendly competition involved. Although the brothers are clearly close, body language expert Blanca Cobb believes that Don Jr. might still want to make it clear he's the older of the two. "Donald Jr. feels like his top dog as the older brother," she says. She points out the way he playfully pushes his brother behind him, saying,
Notice how he uses his hand to keep his brother, Eric, behind him at the podium. Even though both brothers are smiling, you get the sense that Donald Jr. is the more dominant one of the two.
But it doesn't mean that the brothers get resentful. In fact, Cobb says, it looks like Eric is along for the ride. "Eric’s lack of response, he keeps his hands by his side, suggests that he might be used to his brother’s way. He doesn't let it bother him," Cobb says.
... but it doesn't mean they don't care about each other.
Cobb insists that though sibling rivalry is definitely there between the two, Don Jr. does show that he truly cares for his little brother.
"When Donald Jr. reaches out to touch Eric’s chin... It’s almost a paternal gesture," Cobb says. But again, Don Jr. is showing his little bro he's boss. "But even in a paternal way, it could be a sign of dominance," Cobb says. Meaning he’s letting everyone know that he’s the older brother; the one who takes of or is more powerful of the two."
Don Jr. may be trying to show he's technically in charge, but Eric Trump's body language shows that he's just as confident as his older brother.
"Notice that Eric touches Donald’s upper arm in an effort to either show his affection towards his brother or to balance out the power," Cobb says. "Meaning that Eric’s confident within his own right and not in his brother’s shadow."
These two may enjoy a power struggle from time to time, but at least they don't let it get in the way of their family ties.
Even without body language, we know they enjoy each others' company.
Since Donald Trump shifted his focus to the White House, Don Jr. and Eric Trump have been busying themselves with running the Trump empire. Since, the two brothers haven't been strangers to oversea trips, and tons of new business deals. In February 2017, the duo traveled to the United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf to open a Trump International Golf Course in Dubai. Plus, that same month Don Jr. and Eric Trump traveled to the Dominican Republic for a similar business trip. This is taking family bonding to the extreme.
The Trumps may be one of the most controversial families in presidential history, but clearly their family bonds still run strong. When Eric Trump and Don Jr. aren't jetting off to an overseas location, these two brothers also love to spend time with their children, and snap a quick picture or two.
In December 2017, Eric and his wife Lara Trump welcomed their son Luke into the world, and since his birth Eric has been all over social media posting about him. To be honest, who can blame him?
As a father of five, it's easy to assume that Don Jr. takes extra time out of his work schedule to hang out with his family. Even though he and his ex-wife Vanessa Trump have split, that hasn't affected his time with his children. In fact, it's not uncommon to see him posting their special hangouts on his Instagram page.
Eric and Don Jr. may have a strong sibling rivalry, but it's pretty obvious that there's a lot of love there. Clearly, family is important to the Trumps, whether or not it's got "first" in front of it.
