Eric Trump, who he is and what he does in the new US President's America

Eric Trump, President Donald Trump's second son, has always had a less glittering profile than his sister Ivanka or his older brother Donald Jr., but today he is in a crucial position: a bridge between the family business and a political system that, while not assigning him formal roles, exploits his quiet influence. In an interview with the Financial Times on 26 June, Eric openly admitted that an entry into politics for him or other family members 'would be an easy road'. A dry, studied statement, peppered with the usual public defence of the family's financial morality: 'We have never gained anything from the presidency. On the contrary,' he said, 'the family has incurred more than $500 million in legal fees.

Eric's strength lies precisely in his functional ambiguity: he is not a public servant, he does not hold office, he is not answerable to oversight bodies, but he is one of the cornerstones of the Trumpian system. And so, as Donald faces his second term in the White House, his sons' influence is exercised on a double track: power and money. Eric is the co-administrator of the Trump Organization along with Donald Jr., but unlike his brother he is less immersed in the aggressiveness of the MAGA media circuit, and more focused on the real estate assets machine and the group's new investment lines. His priority today is to consolidate the international network of hotels, construction projects and crypto funds - in particular through the company's emerging arm, American Bitcoin, set up to ride the administration's favourable wave of cryptocurrencies.

From his headquarters in West Palm Beach, Eric coordinates negotiations in India, expansion projects in Dubai and joint ventures in Israel. During his father's first presidency, he officially stayed away from politics. Today, however, the distance has thinned. His contacts with key members of the administration, his close relationships with donors, investors and conservative foundations place him as a de facto stable outside advisor, with a much wider operating margin than a federal official would have.

Eric, for now, does not seem to want to replicate the Ivanka model, who in 2017 entered the White House as an aide to the president, nor the more exuberant one of Don Jr, now the real media machine of the Trumpian universe. But his role, paradoxically, is more effective: his influence is less exposed, more technical, and sinks into the financial and strategic structure of the Trump empire. It is in this operational silence that Eric's real 'placement' plays out: a role not visible in the list of officials, but central to the economic and ideological direction of the presidency. He is the risk manager, the one who deals with advisors and foreign partners, who cleans up the balance sheets, who handles - even behind closed doors - the thorny dossier of international family relations.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family continues to orbit the power machine in different ways, but always functional to the ecosystem created by Trump senior. Donald Trump Jr. has become the face of the permanent attack on the 'liberal elite', a regular speaker at Republican conventions, a constant presence on podcasts, a guest of honour in ultra-conservative circles. He is the son who best interprets Trumpian rhetoric: unrestrained, unfiltered, often bordering on hateful. He played a central role in the vice presidential choice, supporting the nomination of JD Vance as running mate and directly influencing the party's communication axis. Although he does not hold office, he attends White House strategy meetings, manages the private donor machine and maintains constant relations with the pro-Trump media. His name is now engraved in the Republican political network, even if he formally remains on the sidelines.