Donald Trump Jr is engaged to Bettina Anderson: ‘She mentioned sure!’

Donald Trump Jr is engaged to Bettina Anderson after a whirlwind romance that began just over a year ago.

The president was speaking at the Christmas White House Reception when he shared the news that his eldest son and his girlfriend are set to be married.  

After saying that he was at ‘a loss for words’ he said: ‘I want to thank Bettina for that one word: yes!’

Trump Jr joked about being unsure whether his new bride-to-be would actually say yes as he got down one knee. 

The crowd at the White House then applauded and cheered as the 38-year-old Anderson spoke, first thanking the president and First Lady Melania Trump. 

‘Wow, What a privilege it is to be here at the White House, Mr President, thank you so much for hosting this incredible party and to our First Lady, these decorations, am I right, aren’t they unbelievable?’

‘This has really been the most unforgettable weekend of my life and I get to marry the love of my life and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!’

President Trump then offered his future daughter-in-law a kiss and two words – ‘good luck’ – as the crowd applauded again.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment. 

It’s unclear when the pair began dating, but in September 2024, Don Jr. was caught locking lips with Florida socialite Bettina.

DailyMail.com exclusively obtained photos at the time that showed the two kissing during an intimate date at a Palm Beach restaurant. 

Afterwards, a source said Don Jr.’s dalliance with Bettina was an open secret in the ritzy Florida town, and that they were spotted enjoying each other’s company frequently despite not having publicly split from ex-girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Then, in early December, Don Jr. and Bettina were spotted enjoying a romantic night out together.

Afterwards, however, a source told DailyMail.com that Bettina wasn’t ‘MAGA enough’ and that her love of partying hadn’t meshed well with the first family’s A-list Mar-A-Lago clientele. 

It was reported at the time that Bettina’s party girl reputation in Palm Beach wasn’t highbrow enough to be associated with the first family.

At least two people close with Don Jr. even alleged that she was only using him as her latest step in her ‘social ladder climbing’ and carefree influencer lifestyle.

Afterwards, Bettina took to Instagram to issue a defiant response to her critics, sharing a bible passage about lies and manipulation, the Irish Star reported.

‘So let them lie. Let them manipulate. Let them talk. You just be still, because when God is on your side, who can stand against you?’ the bible passage, from the book of Exodus, states.

The passage was part of a video posted by an account which shares motivational quotes and messages, Cycas Motivation.

The rumors haven’t seemed to deter the couple, as Bettina scored an invite to Donald’s highly coveted inauguration in January. 

While she didn’t sit up front with Don Jr., she was spotted in the crowd wearing a black and white patterned Dolce and Gabbana suit.

Afterwards, a source close to the family assured DailyMail.com that Bettina is ‘adored’ by the Trumps, and there was no intended slight in her failing to secure a seat in the Rotunda with Don Jr., as they were in extremely high demand. 

The pair have appeared off and on throughout 2025, including at high profile events like the president’s trip to the Super Bowl in New Orleans.  

Anderson was born into one of Palm Beach’s old-money banking families, the daughter of Palm Beach society couple Harry Loy Anderson Jr, a banker, and his wife Inger, an immigrant from Sweden.

Best known as H. Loy, the elder Anderson became president of a small bank, Worth Avenue National Bank, in 1970 then went on to take over a slew of other financial institutions.

Bettina’s mother was a model at New York’s Eileen Ford agency in the 1970s and 1980s who started an exercise regimen patterned after the era’s guru, Jane Fonda.

Through a network of old-time society members formed at the black-tie galas organized on the island of Palm Beach during the winter, H. Loy became the moneyed set’s go-to banker.

That put him in contact with people like Herbert ‘Peter’ Pulitzer, scion of the publishing fortune whose first marriage to Lilly Pulitzer planted the seeds of a clothing empire, and second marriage to Roxanne Pulitzer made him a household name in the early 1980s.

Anderson was known to be Peter Pulitzer’s best friend and stood by him as the divorce from Roxanne spawned allegations of cocaine-fueled orgies.

With clients like Pulitzer and his presence on the boards of top Palm Beach charities like the American Red Cross, the Hanley-Hazelden Foundation, the YMCA, Holocaust Memorial Foundation, Leukemia Foundation and Boy Scouts of America, Bettina’s dad was able to give his family a decadent, extravagant lifestyle while organizing parties where the guests of honor mingled with live elephants and pythons.

Through the partying and business networking, Bettina’s parents had six children whose births were spread over 20 years, four girls and two boys. Bettina has a twin sister, Kristina.

H. Loy died in 2006 of Alzheimer’s, according to his obituary, after he famously turned to religion and became an elder in the local Ephesus Seventh Day Adventist Church.

What was not in his death announcements was the story that Palm Beach old timers tell visitors, that society stalwarts with safes in H. Loy’s banks would secretly stash their personal reserves of drugs inside and empty them before closing on Fridays for use on weekends.

Bettina and her siblings were raised with the proverbial silver spoon and sent to the finest private schools that Palm Beach and the country had to offer.

This is a developing story.