Donald Trump’s sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump, Jr., have been criticized over a series of hunting photos showing them with fresh kills in Zimbabwe last year.
They’ve done nothing illegal, but in one of the more controversial shots, Donald Jr. is seen grinning broadly while holding the severed tail of an elephant.
He has predictably been eviscerated by PETA in press releases, but defended his actions on Twitter, saying that he was simply taking part in a local custom.
Trump Jr. has not apologized, and has been actively defending his actions to his 120,000 followers, along with getting into a few spats with readers.
In one Twitter update, Trump Jr. writes, “I don’t apologize to cater to public opinion when I did nothing wrong. To do so would be to sell myself out.”
Responding to criticism from PETA, the executive V.P. of the Trump organization wrote, “yea ok peta, not exactly known for credible and unbiased info.”
In a joint statement released by the brothers, they again defended the images, noting that all meat killed during the hunt was donated to local villagers:
“We are both avid outdoorsmen. Brought up hunting and fishing with our grandfather, he taught us that nothing should ever be taken for granted or wasted.”
“We have the utmost respect for nature and have always hunted strictly in accordance with local laws, customs and regulations.”
What do you think of their actions?