President Trump told attendees at a White House holiday party on Monday night that his eldest son, Donald Jr., is engaged to Bettina Anderson, a Palm Beach socialite.
Andrew Surabian, a spokesman for the younger Mr. Trump, confirmed the engagement.
The president’s announcement threw a spotlight on a relationship that had long been the subject of tabloid speculation. Last December, the British tabloid The Daily Mail published photos of the younger Mr. Trump, 47, and Ms. Anderson holding hands in Palm Beach. Kimberly Guilfoyle, then Donald Jr.’s fiancée, was named as his father’s choice to be ambassador to Greece hours later.
Ms. Guilfoyle was sworn in as the Greek ambassador in September and was dispatched to her post in Athens last month.
Mr. Trump, who runs the Trump Organization alongside his brother Eric, has plowed ahead with a yawning list of business ventures capitalizing on his family name and proximity to the president. And he has frequently appeared in public alongside Ms. Anderson since his father’s return to office.
It is the third time the younger Mr. Trump has been engaged. He proposed to his first wife, Vanessa in 2004, and the two were married at Mar-a-Lago in 2005. At the time of their engagement, Mr. Trump accepted a ring from the Bailey Banks & Biddle jewelry store in Short Hills, N.J., in exchange for publicity, re-creating his proposal in a New Jersey mall. Ms. Trump filed for divorce in 2018.
Ms. Guilfoyle, Mr. Trump’s second fiancée, was a prominent Republican surrogate during their relationship, and gave speeches at the 2020 and 2024 Republican conventions. By 2024, speculation had already been swirling about Ms. Anderson’s closeness to Mr. Trump, and the socialite was seen sitting behind the engaged couple at the Republican National Convention that July.
Chris Cameron is a Times reporter covering Washington, focusing on breaking news and the Trump administration.
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