Don Jr.’s New Girlfriend Keeps Her Distance at Inauguration
Bettina Anderson wasn’t seated with the Trump family for the swearing-in ceremony.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Donald Trump Jr.’s new girlfriend wasn’t seated with the Trump family during Donald Trump’s swearing-in on Monday.
Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson was first linked to Don Jr. in September, while he was still engaged to Kimberly Guilfoyle. In December, the first son called off his six year-long relationship with Guilfoyle, who was conveniently tapped as ambassador to Greece the same day the news broke.
Though Don Jr., Guilfoyle, and Anderson all appeared at Trump’s pre-inaugural celebrations, both women were notably absent from the Trump family’s seats in the Capitol Rotunda during the swearing-in.
In Anderson’s case, she may have been blindsided by the move—cosmetics founder Katherine Lugo posted a photo of Anderson in a houndstooth Dolce & Gabbana outfit captioned “Inauguration Glam” at around 8 a.m. on Monday.
Bettina Anderson poses in her Inauguration Day outfit.
Katherine Lugo/Instagram
Bettina Anderson did leave the inauguration with Donald Trump Jr.’s family, including ex-wife Vanessa.
Jack Gruber/Pool/Getty Images
Anderson was also absent from Don Jr.‘s table during the inaugural lunch. Instead, he sat with Apple CEO Tim Cook, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi, and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and wife Martha Ann.
Anderson’s low profile comes amid reports that the Trump family is wary of her newfound presence in their orbit. One family friend told Mediaite that Anderson is “not someone [Don Jr.] should be around.” Another source said they warned the president’s son of Anderson’s reputation for partying and dating wealthy men.
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“Donald Trump does not approve of his son’s association with Bettina,” another family friend said. “Bettina’s presence is seen as a liability rather than an asset.”
The family friends told the outlet that some Trump insiders recommended that she be barred from the inauguration.
Anderson’s representatives denied the claims to Mediaite.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article said Anderson was not present at the inauguration ceremony. It has been updated to clarify that she was present, but not seated with the Trump family.
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