Eric Trump dismisses David Lammy’s comments on Donald as ‘dumb’

David Lammy’s comments about Donald Trump have been branded “dumb c–p” by Eric, the former US president’s son.

Mr Trump dismissed as “nonsense clickbait” the Foreign Secretary’s 2018 description of his father as “a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathizing sociopath”.

In an interview with The Telegraph during a trip to Scotland, Mr Trump said: “I’ve seen politicians over the years in the UK take shots at our family, and I’ve never quite understood it.

“We have tremendous respect for the country, and that transcends some politician who will likely be out of there in nine months anyway.

“We have politicians who say dumb c–p all the time to try and make headlines.”

Insisting that there was no better ally to the UK than his father, and that the special relationship would not be affected by Mr Lammy’s words, Mr Trump said: “Love for country transcends a nonsense voice that wants to be clickbait, wants to make it into The Telegraph or onto the BBC because they say something crazy and something sensational.”

Mr Lammy made his comments when he was a backbench MP. Last month, he refused to retract his words, insisting that “lots of people have had things to say” and that the former president has “the thickest of skins.”

Second son

Eric Trump, 40, is the second son of the former president. He is executive vice president of the Trump Organization, which owns hotels, golf clubs and luxury real estate around the world.

Day-to-day, he runs the family business while his father focuses on politics. But he has become closely involved in his father’s 2024 election campaign, moving closer to the political power center. The New York Post described him as “his dad’s secret weapon.”

In an interview with The Telegraph at his family’s golf course near Aberdeen, Mr Trump opened up about the assassination attempt on his father, saying: “I’ll never forget that day as long as I live.”

Mr Trump was at home with his wife and two young children on July 13 watching his father’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, live on television, when a would-be assassin fired a bullet which struck the former president’s ear.

“You thought they just killed your father. You have two kids on your lap. And I’ve sat on my father’s lap the very same way that they were sitting on mine that day.

“They don’t understand the evilness that often exists in the world. It was pretty unthinkable, especially as you see blood coming gushing down the side of the guy’s face.

“We were worried. You didn’t know if he had taken bullets to his torso, where the bullet entered his head. Was it neck? Was it spine? Was it an ear?

“All you saw was blood. You knew he’d been hit. That was a scary hour. It was far too close. “It should never have happened.”

Biden ‘was right to go’

Shortly after, with polls widening in Trump’s favor, Joe Biden dropped out of the race for the White House amid concerns over his mental and physical capabilities. It was, Mr Trump said: “The right thing for our country. “He didn’t have the aptitude to do it.”

Trump senior, 78, would be older at the end of a second term than Mr Biden, 81, is now. But Mr Trump poured cold water on any speculation that his father would be affected by similar age-related issues.

“What I can tell you is Joe Biden was slow, couldn’t move, couldn’t think, couldn’t speak, couldn’t get a number out properly. My father would go and walk a golf course twice, no problem whatsoever, then he’ll go and do three rallies, get back at 2am and start working again at 6am.

“And he has no problem doing that. I think the entire world realizes that there’s a major difference between my father and Joe Biden. “I don’t think anyone could credibly say that they’re even in the same boat.”

Kamala Harris, who on Monday will officially become the Democrat candidate for president, has galvanized her party – and donors – with $200 million (£156 million) flowing into the campaign war chest in just one week.

She will announce her vice-presidential nominee this week, with Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, expected to prevail over Mark Kelly and Pete Buttigieg, respectively the governor of Arizona and the transportation secretary.

‘Great chemistry’ with JD Vance

On the Republican ticket, JD Vance, the Ohio senator and Republican vice-presidential nominee, sparked controversy by referring to Kamala Harris as a “childless cat lady” who doesn’t have a “direct stake” in the future of the country.

Challenging rumors of a split at the top of the ticket, Mr Trump insisted: “My father has a great chemistry with him.” He added: “JD Vance is a guy who is going to carry the party for a long time to come.”

The 40 year-old left the door open for himself, though, saying: “I very much believe I could do politics and I could do so in a very better way. I’ve developed a good voice, I think I understand what the country wants and needs. “I just don’t know if I’d hop into that arena.”

Mr Trump was one of the keynote speakers at the Republican national convention in Milwaukee last month. “I introduced my father. Don’t think that was coincidental,” The Telegraph told.

Lara, Eric’s wife, is co-chairman of the Republican national committee, which helps shape the party’s election strategy and fundraising efforts. She is one of the most powerful women in Republican politics and has helped strengthen the family’s grip on the party.

All this marks a shift from 2016, when sister Ivanka, 42, and Jared Kushner, her husband, both played significant roles in the first Trump administration. They have consciously stepped away from front-line politics this election cycle.

Now, it is Eric, and his outspoken brother Don Jr, 46, who are the closest consorts to their father. Don Jr, who also has a senior role in the Trump Organization and hosts a podcast called Triggered, was said to have pushed harder for Mr Vance to be the vice-presidential nominee on the Republican ticket, despite a number of detractors.

‘Nigel has a following’

Mr Trump said that he was impressed with Nigel Farage and Reform UK’s performance at the general election. “I think there were a lot of issues that drove that, but illegal immigration was one of them.

“When you see people who are losing jobs, based on people coming in from other countries taking those jobs and taking workforce housing, and depressing wages, a lot of people sit back and say, you know what, this does make a whole lot of sense. And so you’ve seen the pendulum swing.

“Nigel certainly has a following, and I think that following is made up of a lot of people no different than my father, who are just fed up with the direction of the country.”