Donald Trump to host funeral for brother Robert Trump at White House

Robert Trump died last week at 71 years old.

August 20, 2020, 7:29 PM

President Donald Trump will have family and friends join him Friday at the White House for a funeral service for his brother, Robert Trump, who died last Friday.

Robert Trump's body will also be driven to the White House from New York for the ceremony, according to sources familiar with the arrangements, which are expected to remain private.

The last time a deceased body was brought to the White House was for the funeral services of President John F. Kennedy after he was assassinated in Dallas in November 1963.

PHOTO: In this Nov. 3, 1999 file photo, Robert Trump, left, joins then real estate developer and presidential hopeful Donald Trump at an event in New York.
In this Nov. 3, 1999 file photo, Robert Trump, left, joins then real estate developer and presidential hopeful Donald Trump at an event in New York.
Diane Bondaress/AP, File

The last time that remains were brought to the White House for a funeral there for a private citizen was in 1936 for Louis Howe, an adviser to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt.

The Trump family has invited 200 people to attend the services though it's unclear how many plan to attend. The service is expected to be held in the East Room of the White House and a source familiar with the arrangements told ABC News any costs would be covered by the president personally.

The White House declined to comment when contacted by ABC News.

Robert Trump, like his brother, was in the New York real estate business, running a majority of the remaining company founded by Fred Trump Sr., his father.

PHOTO: Robert Trump hugs his brother, Republican president-elect Donald Trump, after Donald Trump delivered his acceptance speech at the New York Hilton Midtown in the early morning hours of Nov. 9, 2016, in New York City.
Robert Trump hugs his brother, Republican president-elect Donald Trump, after Donald Trump delivered his acceptance speech at the New York Hilton Midtown in the early morning hours of Nov. 9, 2016, in New York City.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, File

Trump visited his brother just one day before his death, calling him his "best friend" in a statement reacting to his passing.

"His memory will live on in my heart forever. Robert, I love you. Rest In Peace," the statement concluded.

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