>>> WELCOME BACK. THE TRUMP NAME WAS ALREADY BIG
IN NEW YORK WHEN THE FIRST OF
THE PRESIDENT’S FIVE CHILDREN
WAS BORN.
WAS BORN. AND THROUGH THE YEARS, THE
FAMILY REAL ESTATE BUSINESS HAS
GROWN INTO A GLOBAL BRAND, OF
COURSE.
COURSE. NOW, THE TRUMPS ARE THE FIRST
FAMILY OF THE UNITED STATES,
RANGING FROM 12 TO 40 YEARS OLD,
THE PRESIDENT’S CHILDREN ARE
CENTER STAGE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE
THE WHITE HOUSE.
AND NBC AND MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR
AND "VANITY FAIR" REPORTER,
EMILY JANE FOX IS OUT WITH A NEW
LOOK AT THE TRUMP CHILDREN.
IT’S CALLED "BORN TRUMP."
GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING. YOU’VE BEEN COVERING THE KIDS,
THEY’RE NOT KIDS, MOST ARE
ADULTS, FOR YEARS.
WAS THIS A DIFFICULT SUBJECT?
WERE THEY COOPERATIVE OF THE
BOOK?
BOOK? >> I’VE BEEN COVERING THE
CHILDREN AND THE CAMPAIGN FOR
ABOUT THREE YEARS.
AT FIRST, I SAID, THESE ARE
PEOPLE IN THE PUBLIC EYE FOR
THEIR LIVES.
THEIR LIVES. WHAT MORE WAS THERE TO LEARN
ABOUT THEM?
ABOUT THEM? EVERYTHING HAD BEEN WRITTEN, I
THOUGHT.
THOUGHT. ONCE I STARTED THE REPORTING
PROCESS, I INTERVIEWED ABOUT 150
PEOPLE FOR THE BOOK.
THERE WAS SO MUCH MORE TO LEARN
ABOUT THEM.
ABOUT THEM. >> WHAT IS YOUR OVERARCHING
TAKEAWAY ABOUT HOW THE CHILDREN
WERE RAISED AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT
THEIR CHILDHOOD WAS LIKE?
>> IN MOST WAYS, THIS WAS
INCREDIBLY PRIVILEGED.
INCREDIBLY PRIVILEGED. THEY WENT TO THE BEST SCHOOLS,
HAD TWO NANNIES LIVING WITH
THEM.
THEM. HEALTHY SIBLING RELATIONSHIP,
WERE GIVEN EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO
SUCCEED IN LIFE.
IN OTHER WAYS, THE CHILDHOOD WAS
QUITE DIFFERENT.
QUITE DIFFERENT. THEIR PARENTS GOT DIVORCED AT AN
EARLY AGE.
EARLY AGE. THEY WERE CHASED TO SCHOOL BY
PAPARAZZI, ASKING THEM QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE SORDID DETAILS OF
THEIR FATHER’S AFFAIR.
IT WAS A PRIVILEGED AND TRICKY
CHILDHOOD.
CHILDHOOD. >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THE THREE OLDER CHILDREN WERE AT
THE KEY AGE, 8, 10, 12, WHEN ALL
OF THIS WAS UNFOLDING.
HOW DID THEY HANDLE IT?
I THINK YOU REPORT IN THE BOOK
ABOUT DON JR. HAVING SOME
TROUBLE WITH HIS FATHER FOR A
FEW YEARS.
FEW YEARS. THEY HAD SOMEWHAT OF A TENSE
RELATIONSHIP.
RELATIONSHIP. >> DON JR. WAS 12 WHEN THIS
PLAYED OUT.
PLAYED OUT. HE WAS OLD ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND.
AND THE CHILDREN IN SCHOOL WERE
TALKING ABOUT IT.
HE HAD A LOT OF ANGER AT THE
TIME.
TIME. HE DIDN’T SPEAK TO HIS FATHER
FOR QUITE A BIT OF TIME.
AND THE RELATIONSHIP TOOK A
WHILE TO HEAL.
HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH IVANKA WAS
INTERESTING.
INTERESTING. SHE WAS CONCERNED THAT, PERHAPS,
SHE WOULD BE REPLACED.
SHE ASKED HER MOTHER, AM I STILL
GOING TO BE A TRUMP?
IS THAT STILL GOING TO BE MY
LAST NAME.
LAST NAME. SHE WOULD CALL HER FATHER MORE
OFTEN.
OFTEN. SHE WOULD VISIT HIM AT HIS
OFFICE MORE OFTEN.
IT WAS AN INTERESTING DYNAMIC.
ERIC WAS VERY YOUNG WHEN IT ALL
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. THE PRESS WAS SO SCRUTINIZING OF
THEIR EVERY MOVE, THAT IVAN WAS
MOVED TO PALM BEACH FOR THREE
MONTHS TO GET THEM OUT OF THE
PUBLIC EYE.
PUBLIC EYE. >> WHAT DID WE LEARN ABOUT
DONALD TRUMP AS A FATHER.
HIS CHILDREN I COMEDOLIZE HIM.
WAS HE A HANDS-ON FATHER?
WHAT KIND OF FATHER WAS HE?
>> I WOULD NOT CALL HIM
HANDS-ON.
HANDS-ON. HE IS SOMEONE WHO WAS
SELF-FOCUSED AND STILL VERY
SELF-FOCUSED.
SELF-FOCUSED. HIS CHILDREN LEARNED TO WORK
AROUND THIS.
AROUND THIS. THEY HAD TWO FULL-TIME NANNIES
WHO FILLED THE LION’S SHARE OF
THE PARENTING WORK.
THEIR PARENTS WERE OUT ALMOST
EVERY NIGHT.
EVERY NIGHT. THEY WERE WORKING FULL-TIME,
OVERTIME.
OVERTIME. IT WASN’T A TRADITIONAL DONALD
TRUMP CHANGING DIAPERS
SITUATION.
SITUATION. IT WAS A VERY MUCH, HE’S THE
FATHER, THE BYPATRIARCH OF THE
FAMILY BUT NOT HITTING BALLS
WITH THEIR CHILDREN IN THE PARK.
>> YOU TALK ABOUT JARED KUSHNER
AND IVANKA TRUMP AND THEIR
MARRIAGE.
MARRIAGE. YOU HAVE REPORTING IN THERE,
FEELING THIS IS THE PERFECT
MATCH, THAT THEY BELONG
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. >> IT’S FASCINATING.
THEY ARE TWO SOULS WHO ARE
DESTINED TO BE TOGETHER.
THEIR PROFESSIONAL AMBITIONS
CERTAINLY ALIGN.
CERTAINLY ALIGN. BUT THE DAMAGES FROM THEIR
FATHERS ARE VERY SIMILAR.
SO, THEY FEEL LIKE THEY SERVE A
PURPOSE FOR EACH OTHER TO FILL A
NEED FOR ONE ANOTHER, AS THEY
CLIMBED PROFESSIONALLY AND TRIED
TO BUILD THEIR OWN FAMILY IN AN
IMAGE THAT WAS DISSIMILAR TO THE
ONE THEY GREW UP IN.
>> FIVE CHILDREN AND LOTS TO
COVER THERE.