Exclusive-Trump’s son Eric to join father’s state visit to China

By Trevor Hunnicutt, Michael Martina and Antoni Slodkowski

WASHINGTON, April 14 (Reuters) – U.S. 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 U.S.-China business relations.

The spokeswoman said Eric, who manages his father’s business empire, 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 the billionaire ex-developer’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 influence to secure China’s financial backing for his investments. In 2019, Trump publicly invited China to open an investigation into his political rivals. The Biden family has denied wrongdoing.

The White House and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House has said Trump fully complies with financial ethics and reporting requirements.

Eric Trump is executive vice president of the Trump Organization, overseeing investments spanning real estate, golf and blockchain. Lara Trump, a former co-chair of the Republican National Committee, hosts Fox News Channel’s “My View with Lara Trump.”

A spokesman for Donald Trump Jr. said the president’s eldest son, who is also an executive vice president at the Trump Organization, would not join the trip.

The highly anticipated trip is the first by a U.S. president in eight years and is aimed at maintaining stable relations between Beijing and Washington. The world’s two largest economies agreed to a truce last year after a bruising period marked by Trump’s tariffs and China’s chokehold on rare-earth exports.

But some U.S. companies had also hoped Trump’s visit could go further than giving a green light for deals on Chinese purchases of soybeans and Boeing aircraft, which are already under consideration.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Michael Martina and and Antoni Slodkowski; Editing by Andy Sullivan, Doina Chiacu, Chizu Nomiyama and Deepa Babington)