President Donald Trump comes from a sprawling family tree.
The 79-year-old Republican leader—known for championing traditional family values and conservative principles—is father to five children across three marriages: Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric with his first wife Ivana Trump; Tiffany with second wife Marla Maples; and his youngest, Barron, with current wife Melania Trump.
Through these five kids, he’s now grandfather to eleven. Donald Jr. and his former wife Vanessa share five children together. Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner have three. Eric and his wife Lara are parents to two. And Tiffany recently welcomed one child with her husband Michael Boulos.
Recently, one of the President’s grandchildren hit a major milestone—turning 13—and the birthday tribute posted by the boy’s father has ignited a firestorm on social media.
On October 22, Don Jr. took to Instagram to mark his son Spencer’s thirteenth birthday, sharing a twelve-picture carousel with his 10.1 million followers.
The 47-year-old wrote: “Happy birthday to the littlest of my little men. Spencer, I can’t believe you’re 13 and I hope you have an awesome day buddy.
“I love you so much. I can’t wait to get back into the outdoors with you. You make me very proud.”
While the comments section filled with “happy birthday” wishes from conservative supporters, numerous people were disturbed by something else entirely—images of the nearly-teenage boy holding firearms.
Three of the dozen photos featured Spencer hunting with guns.
The images didn’t sit well with everyone. One Instagram commenter wrote: “Not even 13 and you threw a gun in his arms. Truly sick. There is no reason a young man today needs to k*ll an animal for food.”
Someone else added: “You’re a sorry exc:use for a human – not happy unless you’re killing some innocent animals.”
This controversy is far from new territory for Donald Trump Jr.
Back in 2019, a hunting expedition he took to Mongolia reportedly set American taxpayers back over $75,000 (£59,000), the BBC reported. That same year, ProPublica’s investigation uncovered that he’d hunted and killed a rare Argali mountain sheep—securing the required permit from Mongolian officials only after he’d already taken the animal.
More recently, footage emerged of him hunting ducks in the Venice area of Italy, where he faced accusations of shooting a protected Ruddy Shelduck within a conservation zone. While Italian officials launched an inquiry, his team has maintained his innocence.
Throughout the years, Don Jr. has repeatedly found himself in hot water over the ethical and legal questions surrounding his hunting expeditions—especially those involving at-risk species, dubious permitting, and his vocal advocacy for gun ownership, not to mention the trophy pictures he routinely posts from hunting adventures around the world.