Trump makes rare reference to late brother in calling for end to opioid epidemic

(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/Axios/MSNBC)

published 26 October 2017

President Trump made rare mention of his late older brother Fred on Thursday while declaring the opioid crisis to be a national public health emergency.

Fred Trump Jr. suffered from alcoholism and died in 1981 at the age of 43. The president, who is famously a teetotaler, credited his older brother for steering him away from alcohol. "[Fred] had a problem with alcohol, and he would tell me, 'Don't drink,'" Trump said.

Trump went on to say that he has watched his friends struggle with alcohol over the years and that "the fact is, if we can teach young people and people generally not to start [taking drugs], it's really, really easy not to take them." He emphasized the importance of a "really tough, really big, really great advertising" campaign to raise awareness and added: "There is nothing desirable about drugs. They're bad."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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