Donald Trump Jr.’s new socialite girlfriend Bettina Anderson was nowhere to be seen during Donald Trump’s swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol at noon Monday, even though it appears that she was dressed in a designer outfit and ready to head to the inauguration several hours earlier, according to the Daily Beast.
At 8 a.m. Monday, cosmetics founder Katherine Lugo posted an Instagram photo of Anderson, posing in a sleek, houndstooth Dolce & Gabbana suit, captioned “Inauguration Glam.”
But the Palm Beach model and influencer wasn’t included in the the seats occupied by Trump Jr. and other Trump family members in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, the Daily Beast said. She also wasn’t Trump Jr.’s date to the inaugural lunch, where the president’s oldest son instead sat with Apple CEO Tim Cook, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.
That Instagram photo of Anderson’s “Inauguration Glam” raises questions about whether Anderson was supposed be at the inauguration but had her appearance called off at the last minute — and, if so, by whom.
Such questions come after the Daily Mail and other outlets have reported in recent weeks that friends and members of the Trump family have become wary of Anderson, who began a romance with Trump Jr. last year when he was still engaged to MAGA firebrand Kimberly Guilfoyle.
The Daily Mail reported that the 37-year-old Anderson is seen as a shallow influencer and “social climber” who is “not MAGA enough,” while several family sources told Mediaite that the president “does not approve of his son’s association with Bettina” because of her habit of partying and dating wealthy men.
Anderson’s absence from the inauguration also is noteworthy given that Guilfoyle was invited to the ceremony. While Guilfoyle didn’t sit with the Trump family, as she might have as Trump Jr.’s fiancee, the former Fox News host and ex-wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom did enjoy a seat among the elected officials and other dignitaries in the rotunda’s audience. That honor may be due to her status as a loyal fundraiser and Trump’s nominee to become the ambassador to Greece.
Meanwhile, Anderson is just known as Trump Jr.’s girlfriend, and it’s not yet clear how much she’s been admitted to the Trump inner circle.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 19: (L-R) Donald Trump Jr., Bettina Anderson, U.S. Vice President-elect JD Vance, and Sergio Gor dance on stage as The Village People perform YMCA during the Turning Point USA Inaugural-Eve Ball at the Salamander Hotel on January 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th U.S. president on January 20. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
On one hand, she was “front and center” at pre-inaugural festivities over the weekend, despite Trumpworld doubts, the Daily Beast reported. Anderson was part of the Trump family entourage on Saturday night as they watched fireworks during a reception held at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, the Daily Beast said. On Sunday evening, she accompanied Trump Jr. to a candlelight dinner for the incoming president, photos show. Later Sunday, she and Trump Jr. attended the Turning Point USA Inaugural Eve Ball, where the two got up on stage with incoming Vice President J.D. Vance and danced to the Village People playing “YMCA.”
But Mediaite said Trump family and friends had expressed concerns about her being Trump Jr.’s date to the inauguration itself, a move that would cement her position as a public face of the new first family. They said she should be barred from the ceremony.
“The idea that he might have the audacity to bring a casual partner on stage at the inauguration has been described as a potential misstep that could etch this relationship, and its questionable nature, into the history books,” a family friend told Mediaite.
If it turns out that Anderson was barred from the inauguration, it’s possible that she understands the reasons why — that her relationship with Trump Jr. hasn’t reached a certain level of seriousness. It’s also possible that she’ll turn up with Trump Jr. at any of the three official inaugural balls on Monday night, and at any of the 17 unofficial parties throughout the city.
Trump Jr.’s relationship with Anderson first became an “open secret” in Palm Beach and the subject of tabloid gossip in the late summer. The gossip was that the 46-year-old Trump Jr. had begun “fooling around” with Anderson, even while he was still engaged to Guilfoyle, 55. Rumors about the “dalliance” began when photos emerged of the couple kissing and cuddling while dining at a restaurant near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
Trump Jr.’s relationship with Anderson gained public recognition in early December, after Trump won the election and announced that he was nominating Guilfoyle to be his ambassador to Greece. Guilfoyle’s nomination was seen by some political observers as a way that Trump could reward her for her political loyalty, while nudging her out of his “immediate sphere” and sending her off to Europe so that his son could openly pursue his new relationship with Anderson.
At the time, sources close to Trump Jr. told People that he had became tired of his six-year relationship with Guilfoyle. For one thing, Trump Jr. didn’t like Guilfoyle’s “style,” including her “tight dresses.” He felt that Anderson, with her honey-blonde hair and “Waspy” model looks, would “impress” his father and perhaps make her a more ideal romantic partner.
But now it seems that Trump may not be that impressed, at least according to Mediaite and the Daily Mail.
“Family members are particularly worried about the optics surrounding Bettina’s reputation and Trump Jr.’s behavior,” a family friend told Mediate. The friend pointed to a story in the Daily Mail on a packet of Zyn, a brand of nicotine pouches, being spotted in a photo of Trump Jr. with his children.
Even if that seems to be a trivial infraction, the family friend explained to Mediaite that using nicotine “deviates from {Trump Jr.’s) typically cautious public image.” In addition, the president, “who has long viewed drug and alcohol use as signs of unnecessary weakness, finds this lack of discretion troubling,” the friend said.
Several other family sources also expressed concern to Mediaite about Anderson’s alleged “transactional relationships” with wealthy men who treated her to lavish gifts. Representatives for Anderson rejected these claims as false.
