Donald Trump has paid tribute to his ‘best friend’ and younger brother Robert after he died in hospital aged 71.
The US president said in a statement released by the White House overnight: ‘It is with a heavy heart I share that my wonderful brother, Robert, peacefully passed away tonight.
‘He was not just my brother, he was my best friend. He will be greatly missed, but we will meet again. His memory will live on in my heart forever. Robert, I love you. Rest in peace.’
Trump’s son Eric also described his uncle as ‘strong, kind and loyal to the core’. He added: ‘Anyone who encountered him felt his warmth immediately. He will be deeply missed by our entire family.’
It is unclear exactly what caused Robert’s death, but a family friend told The New York Times he suffered brain bleeds after a recent fall. He reportedly took blood thinners and was ‘very ill’.
Trump had visited his brother in New York Presbyterian Hospital, Manhattan, just one day before he died.
Speaking after his visit, Trump confirmed his brother was ‘having a hard time’.
Robert was the youngest of Fred and Mary Anne Trump’s five children and born two years after Donald. The eldest of the children, Fred Jr, died in 1981.
He was an executive in the family real estate business, but unlike his brother, he generally shunned the spotlight.
Shortly before his death, he sued his niece Mary Trump to block her from releasing a tell-all memoir about the president, titled How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.
He accused his niece of trying to ‘sensationalise and mischaracterise’ their family for financial gain.
The book was released after a court found in favour of Mary Trump.
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