US President Donald Trump’s son Eric Trump and his wife, Lara, will accompany the president on his trip next month to China, a spokeswoman for the family organization told Reuters on Tuesday.
Two sources had told Reuters that members of Trump’s family, including Eric, were considering joining Trump on his highly anticipated May 14-15 visit, potentially to contribute to US-China business relations. But the spokeswoman said Eric 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. He will not be participating in private meetings, but will instead stand alongside the President to mark this historic occasion.”
The move could nonetheless raise concerns in Washington, given that Trump’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 position of influence to secure the financial backing of China for his investments. In 2019, US President publicly invited China to open an investigation into his political rivals. The Biden family denied wrongdoing.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.