Eric Trump Accidentally Revealed To Kaitlan Collins How Desperate He Is For Donald's Approval

Eric Trump is probably still trying to take his foot out of his mouth after his embarrassing CNN interview with Kaitlan Collins on October 16, 2025. President Donald Trump's son was grilled by Collins about the Trump family's business dealings in Indonesia, and how the president seems to be mixing business with politics. Collins played Eric a clip of a moment between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Donald that was caught on a hot mic, where Donald promises to put the president in touch with Eric, calling his son, "such a good boy." Eric's first response to whether or not his father had called him with regard to that conversation was, "Not about that. But I'm glad that he acknowledges that I'm a good boy. I am a good boy." Say what now?

Collins somehow managed to keep a straight face as Eric uttered those five words, and the second-oldest Trump son didn't appear to realize he'd just said something that will become a viral meme. It appears that he is so desperate for Donald's approval that he simply couldn't help but give himself a pat on the back on live TV for being complimented by his father. Add that to the list of strange things about Eric we can't ignore.

Eric saying those words was such a bizarre moment that pundits on X initially thought the viral clip must be AI-generated, with several asking the platform's chatbot, Grok, to verify its authenticity. "So Eric is the family dog?" one user quipped. "He's been waiting for this validation his whole life. Sad," another added.

When considering what Eric Trump's childhood with Donald Trump was really like (Donald reportedly wasn't the most present father), it makes sense that the second-oldest Trump son is vying for Donald's attention — and basking in its glow when it's finally directed his way. Eric has undergone quite the transformation over the years, but one thing that hasn't changed is his unwavering support for his father.

When those infamous Access Hollywood tapes surfaced ahead of the 2016 presidential election, Eric defended Donald's lewd talk about women and his admission of making unwanted advances toward them, calling it "locker room banter" (via The Hollywood Reporter). Eric blamed his father's opponent, Hillary Clinton, for the mess. When the bawdy birthday card reportedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein from Donald was made public in September 2025, Eric claimed in a Newsmax interview that his father never wrote the card, despite the fact that it was seemingly signed by his father. "I can tell you my father does not sketch out cartoon drawings," Eric said (via Daily Beast). Evidence to the contrary exists. In fact, doodles by Donald have been auctioned off in the past.

When he's not defending his father against claims of wrongdoing, Eric toys with the idea of making his own bid for the White House. "You know, if the answer was yes, I think the political path would be an easy one, meaning, I think I could do it," he told the Financial Times in June 2025, per The Guardian. During an October 2025 talk where he promoted his book "Under Siege," Eric asserted, "Never say never, but hopefully I can avoid the nightmare ... of politics for a little while longer" (via USA Today).