Don Jr.’s Girlfriend Reportedly Settled for Him After Elon Musk Fail
Bettina Anderson’s plan didn’t work out how she once hoped, sources say.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Donald Trump Jr.’s girlfriend initially had her sights set on his father’s favorite frenemy.
Bettina Anderson, 38, was “going for Elon Musk,” before she cozied up to the president’s oldest son, sources told the Daily Mail on Tuesday.
Trump, 47, and Anderson began their whirlwind romance more than a year ago. But before that, the Palm Beach socialite and model reportedly tried to use him to get closer to the Tesla CEO, who at the time was a trusted adviser and friend of President Donald Trump.
The pair publicly feuded in July but rekindled their bromance after reuniting at Charlie Kirk’s funeral in September.

Anderson reportedly settled for the president's son.
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
“She told me she wanted to have one of Elon’s babies and she thought going after Don Jr would help her get close to Elon,” a “friend” of Anderson’s told the Mail. “She told several of us this was her ultimate goal.”
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The billionaire tech mogul is known to be determined to create a “legion” of children to fulfill his goal of combating the declining population, according to sources who spoke to The Wall Street Journal in April.
Musk, 54, is publicly known to have at least 14 children with four women including musician Grimes—though privately, insiders say that number is much higher. The former DOGE-head is said to refer to his kids as a “legion,” in a nod to the ancient Roman army.
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The Daily Beast has reached out to the Trump Organization and Anderson for comment.
While Anderson has moved on from Musk, she still has an icy relationship with the Trumps.
The Columbia University grad and self-proclaimed “housewife with no chores” was first spotted among MAGA’s first family at the July 2024 Republican National Convention, seated directly behind Trump Jr. and his then-fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Musk and Trump publicly feuded in July and were estranged before reuniting at conservative activist Charlie Kirk's memorial.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) / ALTERNATE CROP
A month later, the then-presidential candidate’s son was seen locking lips with Anderson—while he was still believed to be engaged to his partner of five years, 56-year-old Guilfoyle.
Guilfoyle, the ex-wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, was tapped to be ambassador to Greece by her would-be father-in-law on Dec. 10—just hours after new photos surfaced of Trump Jr. and Anderson cozying up on her birthday. A week later, sources told the Mail that former Fox News host Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. went their separate ways.
These days, Trump Jr. and Anderson are enjoying the $10 million, 11,000-square-foot, six-bedroom waterfront house in Jupiter, Florida owned by the president’s son and his ex, while she’s overseas.
“Kim isn’t too happy about this,” sources told the Mail.
“She is worried about the stuff she’s leaving behind. The last thing she wants to do is to see Bettina using something she owns.”
The source added that Guilfoyle “is really worried even if she has sworn off Don Jr. as yesterday’s news.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the ambassador for comment.
Despite Guilfoyle’s exit, Anderson still was not welcomed into the family with open arms. In fact, members of the president’s inner circle warned as early as January that “Donald Trump does not approve of his son’s association with Bettina.”

Anderson was spotted near her now-beau and his then-partner at the Republican National Convention in 2024.
Brian Snyder/Reuters
“Bettina’s presence is seen as a liability rather than an asset,” a Trump family friend told Mediaite in January. “Individuals close to the president have expressed growing concerns about the potential liability posed by his son’s new relationship.”
Following that report, Anderson was seated separately from the Trump family during the president’s swearing-in ceremony.
The Florida socialite has long been seen as one of Palm Beach’s most eligible bachelorettes—and party girls—with a résumé that includes environmental philanthropy and cameos at society galas.
Anderson is the youngest of six children and the daughter of the late Harry Loy Anderson Jr., a business tycoon whose ascent began when he became president of Worth Avenue National Bank at 26. Her mother, Inger, is reportedly a philanthropist who lives in a $11.5 million Palm Beach estate.
She’s previously been linked to Ken Griffin, the Citadel CEO worth $46.8 billion, and William “Beau” Wrigley Jr., the heir to the Wrigley gum fortune worth an estimated $3.4 billion—and more than two decades her senior.
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