Blood Money and Lies: Trump Jr.’s Role in Serbia’s Crackdown

Donald Trump Jr. sells his father’s name like a cheap commodity. In Belgrade, he peddled Vucic’s propaganda, legitimising a brutal crackdown for a rumoured $10 million.

In a moment of stunning political theatre, Donald Trump Jr., heir to a name synonymous with excess and opportunism, sat down with Serbia’s embattled President Aleksandar Vucic in an exclusive interview that aired¹ just one day before what is expected to be the largest anti-government demonstration in recent Serbian history². To the casual observer, the exchange may have seemed like just another episode of Trump Jr.’s sycophantic, conspiracy-laden podcast—a rambling back-and-forth designed to enflame his father’s base while lining his own pockets. But beneath the surface, this was something far more sinister: a calculated effort to delegitimise the student-led protests, bolster Vucic’s authoritarian grip, and justify a brutal crackdown that may well end in bloodshed.

Trump Jr., who has spent much of his post-political career desperately clinging to his father’s shadow while monetising his last name, opened the interview with an unmistakable tone of camaraderie. He offered Vucic a platform…