President Trump and his family celebrated the life of his brother, Robert Trump, during a private service at the White House on Friday afternoon.
The president and first lady were seen walking down the North Portico steps after Robert Trump’s casket and watched as he was placed in the hearse and drove away.
With bagpipes playing, the president and first lady Melania Trump followed his brother’s casket to a waiting hearse in the late afternoon. They stood at attention and held hands for a couple of moments as the casket was placed inside. A few dozen family and friends stood nearby on the White House steps. As the hearse drove away, the president and first lady returned to the residence and some in the group embraced.
ROBERT TRUMP, BROTHER OF PRESIDENT TRUMP, DEAD AT 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 heavy heart I share that my wonderful brother, Robert, peacefully passed away tonight,” the president wrote in an official White House statement. “He was not just my brother, he was my best friend. He will be greatly missed, but we will meet again. His memory will live on in my heart forever.”
Robert Trump began his career on Wall Street working in corporate finance but later joined the family business, managing real estate holdings as a top executive in the Trump Organization.
Earlier in the week, the president said his family would hold “a small service here at the White House for my brother.”
“I think it would be a great honor to him. He loves our country so much,” Trump said. “He would be so proud.”
He added: “I think it’d be appropriate.”
