3 Times Eric Trump Created Controversy By Defending His Family

In an interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump’s middle son, Eric, continued his pattern of creating controversy when defending his father.

"I’ve never seen hatred like this," Eric Trump said. "I mean, to me, they’re not even people."

The president’s son went on to deny the "baseless Russian conspiracy theories" and called the recently elected Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez a "total whackjob" while decrying the increase in name calling.

The statements immediately drew the ire from Democrats on social media who pushed back against the dehumanization of their political ideology.

His statements, however, works within a pattern for Eric, who, along with the other Trump children, has created controversy with his statements when discussing his family.

Here’s three other examples:

Ivanka Wouldn’t Allow Herself to Be Subjected to Sexual Harassment

"Ivanka is a strong, powerful woman, she wouldn't allow herself to be [subjected] to [sexual harassment], and by the way, you should take it up with Human Resources, and I think she would as a strong person, at the same time, I don't think she would allow herself to be subjected to that,"’ Eric said he told CBS's Charlie Rose on "CBS This Morning" in August of 2016.

The conversation took place when discussing the allegations by female Fox News employees, including Gretchen Carlson and who accused Roger Ailes of sexually harassing them on the job. These allegations lead to Ailes’ resignation as the CEO of Fox News.

These comments fell in line with a comment made by his father who, also in August, said that he hoped Ivanka would "find another career or find another company" if she was sexually harassed.

READ: Eric Trump Calls Russian Probe A ‘Hoax,’ Democrats ‘Not People,’ Twitter Reacts

David Duke Deserves a Bullet

"The guy [David Duke] does deserve a bullet," Eric Trump said to host Ross Kaminsky of 630 KHOW Denver in November of 2016. "I mean, these aren’t good people. These are horrible people."

This quote came after former KKK leader David Duke—who was running for a seat as a Louisiana State Senator—came out, like most white nationalists, as a vocal supporter of the president's candidacy.

Then-candidate Trump, when asked about Duke’s endorsement of his candidacy, had denied knowing who he was, despite evidence to the contrary. Duke lost his bid to be Louisiana senator, receiving 3.4 percent of the vote.

While critics of Trump called for the then-candidate to disown David Duke's support, Eric Trump was heavily criticized for seemingly wishing for his death.

READ: Did Eric Trump’s Cancer Charity For Kids Benefit The Trump Organization?

Nepotism is a "Beautiful Thing"

"Is that nepotism? Absolutely. Is that also a beautiful thing? Absolutely. Family business is a beautiful thing." he said according to a report by The Telegraph.

This quote was reported in April 2017, reportedly while he sat in the clubhouse of the Trump Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire, Scotland. Eric, following Trump’s election has taken steps to oversee the renovation of the golf course, which has cost over $250 million for the company.

Eric went on to say that Ivanka Trump’s role in the White House was an equally beautiful example of nepotism: "The same applies for Ivanka," he continued in the interview about nepotism. "Ivanka is by his side in Washington."