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no_hypocrisy

(46,234 posts)
Fri Jul 17, 2020, 08:40 AM Jul 2020

Wondering what Mary Trump *didn't* put in her book.

To me, there seems to be an unexplained story behind why Fred Jr., her father, became an alcoholic.

My theory is that Fred Jr. was pegged to take over the Family Business from their father, Fred Sr. But Donald wanted that position and had to displace his older brother. (Donald was not about to let his older brother be HIS boss.) As the family was already dysfunctional, I wouldn't be surprised if Donald incrementally, systematically destroyed his brother in their father's eyes. Little things that destroyed his credibility. And when Fred Jr. realized that this was going to be an ongoing pattern of his brother trying to destroy him (and partnered with their father), he opted to detach from the family and chose another occupation, aviation. But the Family would not let him "leave." Sort of like trying to leave the Mob. They tortured him, perhaps threatened to cut off any money to him and his family. And Fred Jr. drank in order to alleviate the profound pain.

Because Donald wanted to take over the business from the getgo.

But why would Mary Trump omit that important segment from her book? Maybe it would undercut her main thesis by leaning toward a sub-story about getting revenge for her father's death. I don't know . . . . . .

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Mike 03

(16,616 posts)
2. I'm not an expert on the Trumps but I've read a little bit about it.
Fri Jul 17, 2020, 08:56 AM
Jul 2020

Most of the psychiatric profiles I've read agree with the first part, that Fred Sr. tried to groom Fred Jr but that Fred Jr had his own aspirations separate and apart from what his father planned for him, and that he was squeezed out as Fred Sr set his sights on Donald, who was willing and didn't want to be subjected to the treatment his older brother received from their father. It's a very tough thing to go against your father and live with constant rejection from the dominant male influence in your life, which undoubtedly contributed to his alcoholism.

You might be getting a little bit ahead of yourself by accusing Mary Trump of omitting this, since your theory is by your own admission a hypothesis, and it's one that other books by psychiatrists on this subject (The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, Dangerous Charisma and likely the longer biographies) don't really back up. That's kind of a tough charge to make when the evidence so far is that she's brutally honest and experiencing great discomfort and assuming great personal risk by coming forward. Of course new facts could come out that could change that.

I'll be reading her book this weekend and maybe there will be additional clues.

But what you are saying is interesting conjecture.

That family dynamic was set in stone by Fred Sr. Donald Trump didn't actually have to do anything to Fred Jr. except to fall in line with his father for Fred Jr. to experience the interpersonal catastrophe that followed once he distanced himself from his father. One brother resisted the father; the other brother did not.

bullwinkle428

(20,631 posts)
3. This has been touched on by Mary, as well as in at least one of the
Fri Jul 17, 2020, 08:58 AM
Jul 2020

earlier books, perhaps by Tony Schwartz. It sounded like Fred Jr. was a fairly kind, empathetic, sensitive soul, and that made him a loser in the eyes of his father.

Frederick Trump Jr. (1938–1981) was Donald Trump's older brother. While attending Lehigh University, he joined a Jewish fraternity, Sigma Alpha Mu, even though he was not Jewish. After he graduated, he briefly worked with his father in the family business, but left to pursue his dream of being a pilot, which created tension between him and his father.[50] He soon got a job as a pilot for Trans World Airlines.[51] In 1962 he married Linda Clapp and had two children with her, Mary L. Trump and Fred Trump III, before they divorced.[50][52] In September 1981, at the age of 42, he died from a heart attack as a result of his alcoholism.[53] Donald Trump later said watching his brother descend into alcoholism motivated him to avoid alcohol and cigarettes.[50][54]


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_of_Donald_Trump#Fred_Trump_Jr.

Being a pilot was always a dream of his, but even after he achieved that, I recall reading somewhere that Fred Sr. mocked him for his career choice, calling him something along the lines of a "glorified bus driver". What kind of a total piece of shit father do you have to be, to do that to one of your kids?? Not surprised he turned to alcohol in the effort to self-medicate...

bluedye33139

(1,474 posts)
4. I don't want to sound mean, but Trump has fetal alcohol syndrome features
Fri Jul 17, 2020, 09:07 AM
Jul 2020

The upper lip in particular. The entire lineage appears to have odd things happening on the bottom half of their faces, and if you look at pictures of fetal alcohol syndrome, it's unmistakable.

He also has the restricted range of affect or emotion, and the characteristic interpersonal problems that you expect from FAS.

He comes from a family of booze hounds. He is wise to abstain.

stillcool

(32,626 posts)
6. my father was an alcoholic..
Fri Jul 17, 2020, 12:00 PM
Jul 2020

so were his brothers. He never told me why, but then he didn't tell me much of anything. He was in WWII, along with 4 of his brothers (PTSD), he was an Irish Catholic (Genetic), my mother died before I was a year old (Depression) Could be any of the above or none of the above.. it's not for me to say.

Beringia

(4,316 posts)
8. Fred jr became disposable
Fri Jul 17, 2020, 12:25 PM
Jul 2020

It happens in many ways in families. Stepmothers, black sheep. I knew trump was not a good human being when I watched the apprentice and he told a kardashian he had no sympathy for people who got dui’s.

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