Body Language Expert Tells Us How The Trump Children Feel About Each Other
Where there is money, family feuds follow. This is practically a rule for the American upper crust, whose players have landed in the papers time and time again for their infamous financial disputes. The Hiltons made a tabloid splash when heiress Francesca Hilton sued her father's estate for leaving her $100,000 after his death in 1979 — an inadmissibly low number, in her eyes (via Forbes). The Gore family had their own crisis in 2003 when one of their heiresses adopted her ex-husband in a failed attempt to get her hands on a larger portion of the family fortune. And who could forget that Bernie Madoff was only arrested after his two sons called the police on their crooked father in 2008?
Given the tension that seems to rock many of America's richest families, one has to wonder how well Donald Trump's children actually get along. When it comes to public appearances, Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany, and Barron Trump all seem ready to smile for the camera. However, that doesn't mean tension isn't boiling behind the scenes.
To gain insight into this matter, we spoke to body language expert and celebrity love advisor, Nicole Moore. In her professional opinion, some of the Trump family ties are certainly stronger than others.
Tiffany and Ivanka Trump may not be best buds
They say blood is thicker than water, but it's difficult to say whether this is true for Tiffany and Ivanka Trump. At times, it seems that the half-sisters are two peas in a pod. When Tiffany married Michael Boulos in 2022, Ivanka celebrated her sister in a gushing Instagram post: "When I was 12 years old my dream of having a baby sister came true! From the first moment I held [Tiffany] in my arms and looked into those big, kind, curious blue eyes I was smitten. Tiffany radiates love, compassion and grace — attributes that she will bring into her marriage with Michael."
As adoring as these words may seem, however, body language expert Nicole Moore tells us that Ivanka and Tiffany don't seem all that close. Pointing to a photograph of the sisters at their father's 2017 inauguration, Moore observed just how different the girls' personalities appear. "Tiffany's shoulders slope slightly downwards and her neck is more relaxed, indicating she is more relaxed and casual than Ivanka," Moore told The List.
According to the body language expert, these differences might be enough to make Tiffany and Ivanka feel guarded toward each other. "There does appear to be emotional distance between the sisters as they are standing far apart and at a staggered distance from each other," Moore explained. "Ivanka is standing behind Tiffany and leaning slightly away from her which could indicate a lack of trust."
Ivanka Trump may be closer to Donald Trump Jr.
While Ivanka and Tiffany Trump appear distant at times, the same cannot necessarily be said about Ivanka and her older brother, Donald Trump Jr. According to body language expert Nicole Moore, the strength of Ivanka and Donald Jr.'s sibling bond is definitely there. In a 2015 ABC News interview with Barbara Walters, the pair can be seen joking about the Trump family's intense work culture. "We refer to it as 'the Trump guilt' when we wake up on Saturday and we're not working," Donald Jr. told Walters. Ivanka burst out in immediate laughter at her brother's joke.
Commenting on this moment, Moore told The List of Ivanka, "Her body language here indicates that she's close to her brother, that she cares about what he has to say and that she respects him." What's more, it seems that Ivanka finds Donald Jr. genuinely funny. As the body language pro noted, the Trump family heiress didn't fake her giggles for her brother's sake, but rather "laughs with an extremely genuine smile." All in all, Moore said, "The two siblings definitely appear to have a close bond."
Eric Trump may look up to Ivanka more than Donald Jr.
Ivanka Trump's close relationship with her brother, Donald Trump Jr., was not the only sibling dynamic that was revealed in the 2015 ABC News interview of the Trump siblings. As viewed by body language expert Nicole Moore, the interview also showed just how much Eric Trump idolizes his older sister. As Ivanka begins telling her story, we see that Eric is turned completely facing her, with a smile on his face and his chin is pointing upward. His chin pointing upward may indicate that he looks up to Ivanka," Moore told The List.
Interestingly, Eric does not appear to feel this same sense of admiration for all of his siblings. As Moore observed, Eric displayed much more respect toward Ivanka than toward Donald Jr. "Interestingly, when Donald Jr. was talking, Eric was staring off into space and not looking at Donald Jr. but when Ivanka was talking, Eric was looking directly at her giving her his full attention." This may show that Eric views Ivanka as the leader and role model of the family.
Eric and Donald Trump Jr. likely trust each other
Just because Eric Trump doesn't necessarily view Donald Trump Jr. as a role model, though, doesn't mean that the two brothers don't get along. On the contrary, body language expert Nicole Moore told The List that Eric and Donald Jr. seem like fast friends.
Pointing to an image of the older Trump brothers adjusting their suits together, Moore observes just how similar the pair appear to be. "This picture demonstrates the connection and trust that Donald Trump Jr. and Eric have," Moore told us. "They are mirroring each other in this picture by both fixing the buttons on their suit at the same exact time."
In Moore's view, Donald Jr. seems especially close to Eric in this photo. "Donald Jr.'s feet are facing outward, indicating he's relaxed and calm in Eric's presence and he doesn't have to stand at attention," Moore noted. "It appears that Donald Jr. can fully relax and be himself in front of his brother."
Barron Trump and Donald Jr. might not be that close
Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. may feel comfortable around each other, but that's not necessarily true for all three of the Trump brothers. Barron Trump, the youngest of the clan, did not grow up in the same household as Eric and Donald Jr. and according to body language expert Nicole Moore, this sense of separation might just show.
This is especially clear in a photograph Tiffany Trump posted on Instagram for Barron's 10th birthday. In the shot, all five Trump siblings smile for the cameras, and Donald Jr. reaches out to pat Barron on the head. To an outsider, this might look like a genuine expression of affection, but in Moore's view, it doesn't reveal any true closeness. "Donald Jr. is attempting to rub Barron's head, but he's not looking directly at Barron and instead looking slightly past him which could indicate that this post was staged or that he's not fully connected to Barron," Moore told The List.
Interestingly, Moore does not think that Barron appeared particularly comfortable with Donald Jr.'s expression of familiarity. "Barron's face is smiling here however his body does appear somewhat tense," Moore explained. "He's holding his hands in a curled-up position, which could indicate nervousness or underlying tension." As a result, it's possible that Donald Jr.'s affection is merely "performative" here.
Barron Trump seems to admire Tiffany Trump
In many ways, Tiffany and Barron Trump are viewed as the outsiders of the Trump family. Unlike their three older siblings, Tiffany and Barron were not raised by the late Ivana Trump, but instead by their own respective mothers, Marla Maples and Melania Trump. Because of this, they had very different childhoods than other members of the Trump dynasty — a fact that could very well bring the two together.
Referencing a picture of Tiffany and Barron laughing and looking up at the sky, body language expert Nicole Moore told The List, "Barron is turned completely toward Tiffany in a celebratory moment and he's looking at her eyes directly while smiling, indicating that he wants to share his happiness with Tiffany." In Moore's opinion, this sweet moment between siblings could very well point at something deeper. "As Tiffany is the sibling closest in age to [Barron], it's possible that he's the most close to her and that he looks up to her." This moment reveals that Barron might even regard Tiffany in the same way that Eric Trump does Ivanka Trump — as a role model.
Tiffany and Eric Trump could have a surprising bond
Barron Trump is not the only sibling with whom Tiffany Trump has a strong connection. The youngest Trump daughter also appears to have a great relationship with her older brother, Eric Trump. In January 2017, Tiffany took to Instagram to share a photo of her and Eric posing at the White House with the Washington Monument in the background. According to body language expert Nicole Moore, this shot says a lot about where the siblings stand with each other.
"In this picture, it appears that Tiffany and Eric do have a genuinely close relationship," Moore told The List. "We can see via Tiffany's body language that she is extremely comfortable in her brother's presence." Apparently, Tiffany is not the only one of the pair who appears happy in this moment. Per Moore's analysis, Eric also takes on a posture that indicates a sense of ease. "Eric's hips are pointed toward Tiffany and hers are pointed toward his, indicating closeness and comfort. They're leaning into each other in union instead of standing separately indicating that they genuinely like to be together and be connected."