Donald Trump Jr. faced a wave of online criticism after a video showed him defending Russell Brand and questioning the fairness of the comedian’s prison sentence.
Brand was sentenced Monday at Southwark Crown Court to 10 years and six months in prison after a jury convicted him of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. The convictions involved offenses between 2004 and 2009.
In the video, which quickly spread online Tuesday, the president’s eldest son argued that the case was unfair because the allegations were decades old.
“He’s gonna spend ten and a half years in prison for rape when no one had a problem with it in the prior 27 years,” Trump Jr. said. He also suggested Brand was targeted for becoming conservative, saying, “They charged him because he’s a conservative.”
The clip drew additional attention as commentators began to speculate about Trump’s Jr.’s appearance.
Journalist Aaron Rupar told his social media followers that he pulled the clip for himself “because it almost looked fake.”
“Nope! It’s real. What in the heck is going on with Don Jr’s eyes? I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone look this high on camera before,” he wrote on X.
Democratic strategist Ameesha Cross called him “high as a kite.” The video does not establish that Trump Jr. was intoxicated.
“OMG…to be defending a rapist @DonaldJTrumpJr,” former Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock posted on X. “You can’t make it up…and wow, is he a hot mess himself…”
“This is disgusting,” wrote Ed Krassenstein. “A coked-up looking Donald Trump Jr. suggested Russell Brand was convicted because he became a conservative.”
Republicans Against Trump said he was “suggesting without evidence” that Brand was convicted for his politics, while the political commentary account Wu Tang is for the Children called the defense “shocking.”
Brand was acquitted Monday of two other rape charges and attempted indecent assault.
I saw this clip on @reggiebblue’s page and pulled it for myself because it almost looked fake. Nope! It’s real. What in the heck is going on with Don Jr’s eyes? I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone look this high on camera before. https://t.co/gZHSSyQr3r — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 10, 2026
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