Donald Trump Jr. Shares Childhood Story of Playing Nintendo with Michael Jackson in Trump Tower

Donald Trump Jr. has shared a fun memory from his childhood growing up in the luxurious Trump Tower in New York. He says he and his siblings actually got to play video games with Michael Jackson, who lived right there in the same building as their neighbor.

Life in the Trump family penthouse was anything but ordinary. The place had around 50 rooms, and young Don Jr. was surrounded by wealth and high profile visitors. While his dad was busy building his real estate empire, the kids sometimes crossed paths with big celebrities. One of those memorable encounters involved the King of Pop himself.

Michael Jackson owned an apartment in Trump Tower back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. That meant he would drop by to hang out with Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. They would play Nintendo games together, watch TV, and just spend time like regular kids.

Trump Jr. recalled one particular moment that stuck with him. They were in the middle of playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Nintendo when his dad walked in. Michael was really enjoying the game, so Donald Trump casually told him he could take the cartridge home with him.

“I was sitting there thinking, wait what?” Trump Jr. said later. He had actually worked a summer job to earn that game himself, and suddenly it was being given away to Michael Jackson, who was at the peak of his fame and probably could have bought a hundred copies if he wanted.

To this day, there’s even a little sibling debate about whose game it really was. Eric claims it was his because they were playing in his room, but Don Jr. is pretty sure it belonged to him.

It is one of those wild stories that highlights just how unusual growing up in that environment could be. Celebrity playdates were apparently part of the deal in Trump Tower back then.

The story comes from Trump Jr.‘s own book and interviews where he looked back on those years. It shows a lighter side of his childhood mixed in with all the family drama that played out publicly during his parents’ divorce. Even with everything else going on, moments like jamming on video games with Michael Jackson made for memories he still talks about years later.