Donald Trump Jr.’s allies worry new ‘social climber’ girlfriend Bettina Anderson will tarnish the ‘Trump brand’

Trump family insiders and friends are doing everything they can to get Don Jr., 46, to end his new relationship with Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, 38.

Allies of the president’s eldest son are worried his new love isn’t ‘MAGA enough’ after his previous support of the Black Lives Matter movement and strict COVID rules.

And now they’re also expressing concern that her notorious Palm Beach party girl reputation isn’t intellectual enough to associate with the first family.

The couple went public with their relationship immediately before her father was sworn in as the nation’s 47th president on January 20, 2025.

Anderson plans to join Don Jr. at Trump’s inauguration next month, a source told DailyMail.com, which would be his first public event alongside his first son.

“It’s one thing to worry that Palm Beach shenanigans will make a stop at Mar-a-Lago,” said a source close to the transition team. “But letting those problems penetrate the White House is a new level of problems.”

At least two people close to Don Jr. allege that she is just using her friend as her latest step in her ‘social climb’ and carefree influencer lifestyle.

But their sudden publicity doesn’t seem to bother the first child, as he and Anderson jetted off to Italy for a romantic getaway days after news of their relationship broke.

Anderson has publicly posted photos of love letters and flowers sent to her by Don Jr. and has also openly documented their luxurious European getaway.

A close personal friend of Don Jr. told DailyMail.com that the couple “expects there to be gossip and trash talk, just because that’s the world of Palm Beach and, you know, the universe they live in.”

He added that “it’s also not really a surprise that people are talking shit.”

If anyone has said anything negative to Don about Bettina, it’s because they haven’t cared enough to convey those concerns to any of their close friends, she continued.

However, a source who worked for the Trump campaign for the past five years told DailyMail.com that Don Jr. is slowly beginning to “wake up” to how Bettina is perceived in MAGA circles as the public begins to learn more about her.

Rumors about her relationship with Don Jr. first began in September when images emerged of the couple kissing and hugging while dining at a restaurant near Trump’s South Florida residence.

At the time, the 46-year-old father of five was still publicly engaged to former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Daily Mail obtained more images of the two together in mid-December and just hours later it was revealed that Don Jr.’s relationship with Guilfoyle had ended after a four-year engagement.

President-elect Trump later announced that Guilfoyle would be his ambassador to Greece in his next administration.

Stacey Bendet, fashion designer and founder and CEO of Alice + Olivia, said the smears are because other women “obsess over competing” and don’t empower each other.

“I have been friends with Bettina for a decade, she is the kindest soul, has the biggest heart, is witty and wise, tremendously funny and an Ivy League graduate; anyone who says a different word is just another social example of Women obsessed with the empowerment of the competitive verse.

‘Don adores her for good reasons!!’ he added in a text.

Anderson has been seen with Bendet at many Alice + Olivia events over the years and the pair is close.

The company account posted a TikTok from January thanking Bettina for hosting an annual ‘galentines’ charity event.

But another person who says she has been close to Don Jr. for decades says Anderson is the closest person Trump and his family want.

Others say Anderson is trying to use Don Jr. as a “stepping stone” to “even bigger fish,” which may include Elon Musk.

Someone who works in the modeling business and has known Anderson for years in the industry speculated with DailyMail.com that he is trying to break into billionaire Elon Musk’s inner circle.

Musk, known as the “first friend,” has been at the president-elect’s side since the 2024 election on Nov. 5. He was chosen to lead the new DOGE agency to eradicate waste from the federal government.

Those in Palm Beach who have known Anderson for decades say she regularly dates wealthy older men who fit her upper-class lifestyle.

One source says she is often showered with gifts by her suitors, who are often rich and handsome, much like Don Jr.

When asked why there is such an uprising in Palm Beach over Anderson, many had the same answer: “We want to protect the Trump brand and we don’t want it around the family.”

Some say that a company that works with Anderson, Kilo Content, calls journalists and paparazzi to let them know when the socialite is out partying with Don Jr. because it wants to increase her notoriety.

The firm did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com about the allegations.

Others say she just wants to be close to the Trumps because it’s what’s trendy right now.

They noted his previously more liberal views, which were first reported by DailyMail.com earlier this month.