Eric Trump uses father's impeachment hearing to promote his wine
‘It is a perfect day for a nice bottle of this,’ says US president’s second son
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.Eric Trump reacted to damning testimony against his father at the impeachment hearings by promoting the family wine business.
The US president’s second son tweeted on Wednesday that it was “a perfect day” for a bottle of 2016 vintage Trump Meritage Monticello red.
“These people are insane,” he added, along with a picture of the branded product and a plug for the Trump Winery Twitter account.
It appeared to be a response to the evidence of Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the EU, that the president directed a “quid pro quo” with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenesky.
Mr Trump has been accused of withholding nearly $400m (£309.7m) in military aid approved by Congress and the Pentagon while demanding that Ukraine investigate one of his 2020 opponents, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his son Hunter Biden, who previously served on the board of Ukrainian energy firm Burisma.
During his testimony Mr Sondland, who donated $1 million to Mr Trump’s inauguration before being made an ambassador, said the highest-level officials working on US-Ukraine policy at the White House and US State Department “knew what we were doing and why” by encouraging Ukraine to launch investigations.
“Was there a quid pro quo?” Mr Sondland asked in his opening statement. “The answer is yes.”
Eric Trump’s promotion of the Trump Winery was quickly ridiculed online, as Twitter users branded it a “Trump Whine” and claimed it “smells cheap”.
“This has got to be a parody.... no, no, it’s really the President’s son trying to sell cheap, noxious, wine and make a buck off of his father’s impeachment inquiry hearing,” added another.
Eric Trump also tweeted a video of Mr Sondland’s evidence about a phone conversation with the president on 9 September, the same day members of Congress learned of the whistleblower complaint that triggered the impeachment hearings.
The president told Mr Sondland: “I want nothing. I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo. Tell Zelenskiy – President Zelenskiy to do the right thing.”
It was this conversation that Donald Trump repeated during a press conference in response to Mr Sondland’s testimony, later telling reporters: “Not only did we win today, it’s over.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments