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CENTERVILLE — Having Donald Trump as your president means even more when you share the Trump name.
For Bryan Trump, the new administration has meant more questions about whether he’s related to the man in the Oval Office, and the new president’s policies.
“They just assume that I have the same views, and it’s not the case,” Trump laughed.
Still, he can’t blame people for the confusion. He lives in the white (“off-white”) house on his block, and is most certainly one of the "Trump children."
Trump's late father’s name just happened to be Ronald, one letter off from Donald, and both men worked in the same broad field of real estate development, with Ronald actually constructing homes.
While Donald Trump has placed his name on buildings, Ronald Trump placed his name on the beams of the 1980s home he constructed — a home Bryan Trump currently owns and has refurbished.
“She looked at me tenderly and said, ‘and you look just like him!’” Bryan Trump recalled of one exchange he had with a woman who believed he certainly must be related to the president. “I don’t know in what world that was a compliment, but that was kind of fun. I got a haircut the next day.”
While Trump isn’t the most common name in the phone book, KSL found 103 listings on whitepages.com for various Trumps who appeared to reside somewhere in the state of Utah.
While there was no Donald or Melania Trump listed, there was a Melanie Trump. There was also a listing for a Tiffany Trump, though it likely did not belong to the president’s daughter.
Bryan Trump said reactions to his name were 50-50 positive and negative.
“Half of them are upbeat and like the fact that I’m willing to play with it,” he said, noting that he occasionally refers to Donald Trump as ‘Uncle Donny.’ “The other half tell me they’re sorry for my name. I’m not sorry. It’s fun.”
Bryan Trump, who works as an oral and maxillofacial pathologist at the University of Utah, said he is taking every bit of news from the new administration in stride — for better or for worse.
“Right now, I’m in the process of getting a hat made that says, ‘Doctor Trump Made Pathology Great Again’ because I teach pathology at the dental school,” he laughed. “I’ve always waited for my opportunity to benefit from the name, and I guess this is it.”
