Eric Trump found himself in the hot seat during a Turning Point USA event at Auburn University, where he was confronted with challenging inquiries regarding his father, former President Donald Trump, and his connections with Israel. This gathering, held in tribute to the late Charlie Kirk, became a platform for intense discussions as students engaged with the younger Trump on complex geopolitical matters.

During the event’s Q&A session, one student queried Eric Trump about the former president’s controversial actions over the summer, particularly concerning the bombing of Iranian uranium nuclear facilities amidst the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel. The student pointed out, “Even though your father advised against it, Israel still proceeded with their attack on Iran, and the U.S. ended up bombing on Israel’s behalf.” This question was directed at Eric, who was seated alongside his wife, Lara Trump, and TPUSA’s Benny Johnson. The student also referenced Donald Trump’s public criticisms of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, noting that his displeasure was evident when he expressed it on national television.

Furthermore, the student raised concerns about the treatment of Christians in regions such as Gaza and the West Bank, questioning the alignment of U.S. policies with a nation accused of not defending Christian communities. Eric Trump responded by acknowledging the complexities of the situation, stating that his father had experienced “frustrations with both sides” involved in the Israel-Iran conflict. He elaborated, “No question my father has had frustrations. In fact, I think he’s been frustrated throughout the whole conflict with both sides.”

Eric, however, went on to claim that Iran’s desire to manufacture a nuclear weapon remains a significant threat to the US, and helped inform Trump’s decision to bomb the country. ‘Make no mistake, you have a nation that is chanting Death to America every single day on the streets of Tehran. You have a nation that will develop a nuclear weapon, and you have a nation that will use that nuclear weapon against the Western way of life.’

The Justice Department under the Biden administration charged three Iranians with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corp. for hacking the electronic accounts of Trump campaign aides. Moreover, the FBI informed Eric during the 2024 election that Iranian hackers were targeting his family’s Trump Organization company. Eric ended his remarks to the student by acknowledging that his father has been enraged with Netanyahu, but said it was used as a ‘tool’ to bring peace to the Middle East.

‘What I can tell you about my father is in terms of Israel, he wants a peaceful Middle East. He wants peace around the world,’ Eric noted. ‘So there have been times that he got mad at Netanyahu. There’s plenty of times where he’s gotten mad at Putin, there’s times where he’s been mad at Zelensky, and he uses all of that as a tool to stop pain and destruction and death of people that are your age.’

The unidentified student previously responded to Eric’s comments by claiming the Israeli government under Netanyahu has mistreated Trump. ‘It’s just sad to see, because I’ve never seen the American President get treated the way he does by the Israeli government.’

Despite implementing the first stages of Trump’s peace agreement in Gaza, Israel has resumed warring with neighboring Lebanon on Thursday after striking several towns with aerial bomb jets. The Israeli military claims the airstrikes targeted military infrastructure for Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militants, in Southern Lebanon.