Filmmaker subpoenaed by Jan 6 committee says Eric Trump thought inciting violence was ‘fair game’
Filmmaker Alex Holder tells The Independent that Eric Trump was unconcerned by the possibility that his father’s lies about the 2020 election could incite his supporters to violence
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The British documentarian whose footage of former president Donald Trump and his family in the days leading up to the January 6 insurrection prompted a pause in the House January 6 select committee’s hearings says Mr Trump’s son Eric was unconcerned by the possibility that his father’s supporters would react violently to his lies alleging that the 2020 election was stolen.
Last week, filmmaker Alex Holder appeared to give evidence before the committee in an interview after turning over a copy of raw footage captured between September 2020 and mid 2021 for a documentary which will air this summer on Discovery+.
In an interview with The Independent, Mr Holder said Trump family members — and Eric Trump in particular — were unbothered by the idea that the often violent rhetoric they and their patriarch espoused after his loss to now-president Joe Biden would inspire his supporters to act out.
“When I asked Eric about the potential danger of sort of rhetoric and the sort of the belligerence, he felt that it was … fair game in that it … was sort of the equivalent on the other side of the political discourse, or he felt that it was the right thing to do … because the election was stolen,” he said.
Mr Holder said he had a foreboding feeling about the chance for violence as filming went on and the former president and his family continued to claim the 2020 election was stolen, even as courts rejected at least 60 lawsuits seeking to invalidate the results.
“The idea of violence, to me, seemed likely because of the fact that when you tell 75 million people that their vote didn't count, and the person that's telling you that is not just the guy you voted for, but also the incumbent President of the United States, the chance of violence was always there,” he said.
The filmmaker said his Trump-focused documentary, which is titled Unprecedented and will be released this summer “chronicle the events leading up to the Capitol attack” and serves also as a “fascinating insight into the Trump dynamic” that “shows a sort of Succession type vibe between the three siblings and who potentially could one day take over from their father in terms of heading that sort of Trump dynasty”.
A spokesperson for Eric Trump, Kimberly Benza, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments