2000 Wharton graduate Donald Trump Jr. has become a well-known political figure — not only for his association with his father, 1968 Wharton graduate and former President Donald Trump, but also for his growing influence on the Republican Party.
Before his rise to political power, however, Trump Jr. received a bachelor’s of science in economics from the Wharton School, where he concentrated in marketing and real estate. The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with Trump Jr.’s Penn peers to paint a better picture of the man before the magnate.
Academic life
In 2010, Trump Jr. visited Penn for a master’s in real estate series sponsored by the Wharton Undergraduate Real Estate Club. During the talk, Trump Jr. described himself as, 10 years ago, “the guy sitting in the back of this Huntsman lecture hall.”
2000 Wharton graduate Joel Spector has similar memories of Trump Jr. in the classroom.
“In that class, I remembered he was quiet,” Spector said. “He rarely spoke. He rarely, I don’t think, contributed anything to class … I seem to remember he sat kind of like slouched in his chair. He always wore a baseball hat.”
Despite Trump Jr.’s quietness, other peers remember him as a good student. 2000 Wharton graduate Louis Antonetti — who was a brother of Trump Jr.'s fraternity — said that Trump Jr. often had the “top grades in the class” as well as an “amazing work ethic.” He also recalled that Trump Jr. seemed to enjoy Penn but did not take it for granted.
“For most kids, weekends in college start on Thursday right, maybe Wednesday,” he said. “[Trump Jr.] would be coming back from the library with his bag over his shoulder while the rest of us started the weekend festivities a little early. He would have that discipline; he knew he was at Penn and didn’t want to squander that opportunity.”
Social and fraternity life
In a 2004 interview with New York Magazine, Trump Jr. admitted that he “used to drink a lot and party pretty hard” in college.
At Penn, Trump Jr. was involved in the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, which is known as Fiji. He described himself at a 2023 talk on Penn’s campus as someone who would be in a class “sweating out last night at Smokes’, trying to learn something and having to figure it out later.”
Trump Jr. ultimately quit drinking in 2002.
“I have too much of an opportunity to make something of myself, be successful in my own right,” he told New York Magazine. “Why blow it?”
Despite the article’s allegations, Arturo — a friend of Trump Jr.’s who requested not to be referred to by his full name due to fear of retaliation — shared that he “never witnessed anything” that supports the descriptions of Trump Jr.’s excessive partying.
“[The descriptions] were pretty surprising,” Arturo said. “I mean, I think, you know, people in college obviously have embarrassing moments and people try to draw attention to themselves or something. But again, I never witnessed anything that was mentioned.”
Antonetti echoed Arturo’s comments on Trump Jr.’s partying, adding that Trump Jr. “didn’t do anything in college that was different from a normal college kid” and that he believes people’s “political views might influence their public opinion of what he was or is now.”
Arturo initially connected with Trump Jr. due to their shared background.
“We just found we had a lot in common,” he added. “His mother was Czech, and I’m Polish, but I was taking Czech at Penn. We both identified as sort of immigrants from that respect.”
He described Trump Jr. as outgoing, decent, and polite — someone down-to-earth with lots of friends.
Antonetti shared similar memories in his experience as Trump Jr.'s fraternity brother.
“He would never try to hurt anybody,” he said. “He would never try to take advantage of anybody. But I can see that if people wanted something from him, whether it was attention or a status thing … maybe if he didn’t give that, then they would put him in a negative light.”
Antonetti first met Trump Jr. as they were both living in the Quad as first-year students and became closer friends with him during their time in Fiji. Antonetti went on many trips with Trump Jr. and even met his family members.
“Don was a very high-energy person; very giving, very genuine,” Antonetti said. “What you see is what you get. He’s a very balanced, rounded person. He never took anything to extremes.”
Antonetti also called Trump a “giver.”
“In the house, he would offer to fix things, to help guys,” he said. “If anyone needed help in a class or with homework, he would give what he could, and he didn’t expect to take from people.”
He added that Trump was very “school-spirited,” always trying to rally his friends to be a part of school activities and that they went to a number of football games and homecomings together.
Lifestyle and family life
While Trump seemed to be passionate about fundraising for his chapter, he was careful with handling his own money, Arturo said.
“He always talked about having a $300 a month allowance,” Arturo said. “Once, we were in line for a sandwich, and he borrowed a dollar,” explaining that Trump Jr. later repaid it and told Arturo that he “had no debts.”
Arturo also recalled that the Trump family’s image impacted Trump Jr.’s reputation and persona.
“He knew his parents were famous, obviously,” Arturo said. “But he also, again, wanted to be liked for being his own person — he wanted to be his own brand.”
He went on to state that he believes that Trump Jr.’s mother in particular played an important role in shaping him.
“People lose sight of the fact that he does have two parents,” he said. “I think the fact that his mother is from [the] Czech [Republic] is a very big part of his identity. People critique his dad about being anti-immigration, but he was an immigrant himself.”
Antonetti recalls Trump Jr.’s mother Ivana Trump and father Donald Trump visiting him at Penn.
“His sister visited a few times, and we would all go out to dinner, have a nice calm night,” he said. “His dad was obviously pretty busy, but he was at graduation and at all the big events. I know for a fact that he would always talk to his mom, they were on the phone frequently. They definitely had more of a family connection than people may think those with billionaire status have.”
On the other hand, Spector recalls a time when Donald Trump came to give a speech at Penn, and Trump Jr. did not show up. He remembers the former president complaining in his speech that his own son did not come to hear his father speak.
“Maybe it was indicative of his relationship with his father at the time,” Spector added.
Life and politics beyond Penn
Though Trump Jr. eventually went on to work for his family’s company, his path was not predestined, according to Antonetti.
“I don't think he was dead set on going to work for his family’s company,” he said. “I think he knew what was coming for him, but it’s not like he talked about it all the time. I think he wanted his own individuality. He’s a unique person.”
Arturo echoed Antonetti's sentiments, recalling Trump Jr. interviewing for investment banking jobs like everyone else and going down the “normal path.”
“It's funny, back then, I feel like politics wasn’t such a hot topic,” Antonetti said. “His father blazed the trail of the uncommon politician.”
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