Featured Image Credit: laraleatrump/Instagram.
Topics: US News, News, Donald Trump
Rachel Lang
Lara Trump had copped fierce criticism after she posted a video of her five-year-old son crying while driving a toy truck in the rain as Hurricane Ian unleashes on the US east coast.
Lara is married to Donald Trump's son Eric. The couple and their son Luke live in Florida, which is currently being battered by category four storm Hurricane Ian.
In the Instagram clip, the five-year-old can be seen rubbing his eyes and crying as he drives his motorised truck through heavy rain. Watch it here:
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"Thought we had a clear window, turns out we did some character building instead," she wrote in the video's caption, before adding: "Stay safe everyone!"
In the video, Lara can be heard spurring her son onward through the storm.
"Oh my God, Luke. Come on, you can do it, let's go," she said.
As Hurricane Ian continues to pelt Florida, many took to social media to slam the Trump mum for her actions.
One Twitter user said: "This should be reported to child protective services.
"She needs attention, no matter what it generates. The little child is, scared, wet, cold, getting pelted with an approaching hurricane and [his] momma is documenting his terror."
A second added: "He’s crying, and she’s surely under an umbrella, that rain is like friggin' needles."
A third said: "For the folks saying 'that looks fun' I would ask, maybe looks fun to you, but does it look like the kid is having fun?"
Others defended the mother for her actions.
One user said: "Yes, but if you're caught in the rain while going for a walk, you don't have a lot of options. You can critique her recording it perhaps, but as much as I despise the Trumps, I don't see the big deal."
Another said: "It’s rain, not acid."
While a third added: "Children should not be shielded from adversity. This builds good character. Not everything in life has a safe room."
Eric Trump shrugged off the social media backlash, telling the Daily Mail that the 'heavens opened up while they were on a walk with the dogs'.
"'The rain came out of nowhere and we were 50 yards away from our home.
"We posted a video of our daughter laughing having been caught in the rain and it was just two kids having fun."
He added: "Any criticism is outrageous and ridiculous, the hurricane is 250 miles away on the west coast and we are on the east coast."
Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida on Wednesday (September 28) as a powerful Category 4 storm with winds were around 241 kilometres per hour as it hit the coast.
NBC reports that the National Hurricane Centre has warned of 'life-threatening storm surge, catastrophic winds and flooding in the Florida Peninsula' with millions under evacuation orders.