President Trump and his family celebrated the life of his brother, Robert Trump, during a private service in the White House on Friday afternoon.
The president and first lady were seen climbing the stairs from North Portico to Robert Trump’s coffin and watched as he was placed in the hearth and chased away.
“Robert, I love you. Rest in peace!” the president tweeted Friday.
Playing with banners, President and First Lady Melania Trump followed his brother’s coffin to a late-night wait. They stood at attention and held their hands for a few moments as the box was placed inside. A few dozen family and friends stood nearby on the steps of the White House. When the ruler left, the president and the first lady returned to the residence and embraced some in the group.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hold hands as they watch people carry Robert Trump’s coffin out of the White House to a memorial service for the president’s younger brother on Friday, August 21, 2020 in Washington. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)
ROBERT TRUMP, BROTHER OF PRESIDENT TRUMP, DEAD BY 71
Robert Trump, a businessman, died Saturday after being hospitalized in New York. The president had visited his brother in the hospital the night before his death.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share that my beautiful brother, Robert, passed away last night,” the president wrote in an official statement from the White House. “He was not only my brother, he was my best friend. He will be greatly missed, but we will meet again. His memory will live forever in my heart.”
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hold hands after Robert Trump’s coffin was loaded into the mansion after a memorial service for the president’s younger brother at the White House on Friday, August 21, 2020 in Washington. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)
Robert Trump began his career on Wall Street working in corporate finance, but later joined the family business, managing real estate as a top executive in the Trump Organization.
Earlier in the week, the president said his family would “hold a small service here in the White House for my brother.”
“I think it would be a great honor for him. He loves our country so much,” Trump said. “He would be so proud.”
He added: “I think it would be appropriate.”
Brooke Singman of Fox News, Kristina Biddle and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
