Donald Trump Jr. Noticeably Absent From Father's 2024 Announcement

Donald Trump Jr. was nowhere to be seen as his father, former President Donald Trump, announced his 2024 presidential campaign on Tuesday.

The ex-president's eldest son was one of the most notable absences during the event at Mar-a-Lago. Family members who did attend the event included the former president's other sons Eric Trump and Barron Trump, his daughter-in-law Lara Trump and former first lady Melania Trump.

While not present during his father's lengthy address, Trump Jr. did share multiple video clips from the speech on social media as it was taking place, at one point quoting his father by tweeting, "We will once again put America First!"

Trump Jr. has not yet confirmed the reason for his absence. He was one of several family members present when his sister Tiffany Trump, the former president's youngest daughter, married Michael Boulos at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday.

Also absent from the speech was Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump. She released a statement on Instagram that said she loves her father "very much" and supports him. However, she decided to step away from the world of politics to "prioritize" her children and their private life.

"I am grateful to have had the honor of serving the American people and I will always be proud of many of our Administration's accomplishments," Ivanka's statement concluded.

Ivanka's husband, Jared Kushner, attended Trump's speech at Mar-a-Lago.

Eric Trump was singled out by the former president during Tuesday's speech. Trump said that Eric had unfairly received "more subpoenas than any other man in history" while comparing him to Al Capone, Billy the Kid and Jesse James.

Trump's oldest son and namesake is one of his fiercest supporters and regularly defends his father on social media. He's served as a proxy for the former president at campaign events and rallies, and has sparked conversations about the potential for his own political future.

John Santucci, executive producer for ABC News, posted on Twitter that Donald Jr. was on a hunting trip out west and was not able to catch a flight back to Florida because of weather, according to a source. Newsweek was not able to independently verify the claim.

Newsweek has reached out to Liz Harrington, spokesperson for the former president, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Despite not being present at the speech, Trump Jr. spent a good portion of the night supporting his father.

He posted multiple clips of his father's speech on Twitter and a photo of President Joe Biden, which he captioned with a quote of Trump's: "Joe Biden is the face of left-wing failure and Washington corruption."

Trump Jr. also backed his father's comment that Biden "falls asleep at global summits" and echoed his father's sentiment that "we will once again put America first."

It is unclear whether Trump will face a challenger for the 2024 GOP nomination. Speculation that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis could take on the former president has been growing, while a significant number of Republicans have shifted their support from Trump to DeSantis.