Just a year after making their relationship official, Donald Trump Jr. and his glamorous Palm Beach girlfriend, Bettina Anderson, are facing turbulence behind the gilded gates of Trump World — and insiders say the family isn’t exactly rolling out the red carpet.
According to multiple sources cited by the *Daily Mail*, 38-year-old Anderson — a socialite raised amid the champagne and charity-ball circuit of Palm Beach high society — has struggled to win over the former president’s inner circle. Some Trump family members and longtime allies are said to harbor doubts about her, partly due to her past associations and the swirl of gossip surrounding her debut into political royalty.
At the center of the unease, sources claim, is a Palm Beach Police investigation into missing valuables from the home of 82-year-old real-estate mogul Joel Pashcow, a millionaire fixture on the island’s social scene. Anderson, who knew Pashcow through a local nonprofit board, was *not* a suspect, according to Palm Beach Police Chief Nicholas Caristo. “There are several suspects involved, none being Bettina Anderson,” he told the *Daily Mail.*
Still, the incident — which involved the disappearance of gold Krugerrands, a Rolex, and other items from Pashcow’s $30-million estate — left a sour impression on some in Trump’s orbit. Pashcow himself made headlines in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal after it emerged that he’d contributed risqué drawings to Epstein’s infamous 50th-birthday “gift book.”
“The Trump family is very protective of its image,” said one Palm Beach insider. “They’ve heard whispers about that whole episode, and while no one believes Bettina did anything wrong, they don’t like drama — and she’s already bringing some.”
Anderson’s social pedigree, however, is unquestionable. She’s the daughter of Palm Beach banker Harry Loy Anderson Jr. — known locally as “H. Loy” — and former Eileen Ford model Inger Anderson. Her father’s connections to figures like publishing heir Herbert “Peter” Pulitzer made the family mainstays of old-money society on the island.
But that hasn’t shielded Bettina from whispers about her intentions. According to one friend quoted by the *Daily Mail*, Anderson once confided that she had “set her sights on Elon Musk” before turning her attention to Don Jr. “She told me she wanted to have one of Elon’s babies and thought going after Don Jr. would help her get close to Elon,” the source claimed. “She told several of us this was her ultimate goal.”
That alleged ambition never materialized, and Anderson has remained firmly by Trump Jr.’s side. Don Jr., 47, is said to be smitten and has reportedly told friends he plans to marry her.
The pair divide their time between Trump Jr.’s new ranch at Pine Creek Sporting Club in central Florida and Anderson’s townhouse in West Palm Beach. Yet the relationship has stirred tension elsewhere — particularly in Jupiter, where Trump Jr. still co-owns a $10-million waterfront mansion with his ex-fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle, now the U.S. ambassador to Greece.
“Kim isn’t too happy about this,” one associate told the *Daily Mail.* “She’s worried about the stuff she’s left behind. The last thing she wants is to see Bettina using something she owns. Even if she’s sworn off Don Jr. as yesterday’s news, her favorite thing to say is that ‘he’s no prize.’”
Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. officially split last year, three months after photographs surfaced showing him and Bettina sharing an intimate brunch in Palm Beach. The breakup made waves in both political and social circles, as Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. had been considered a powerhouse couple within MAGA world.
Since then, Anderson has been spotted attending Trump family events, mingling with Don Jr.’s children and even appearing alongside Eric and Lara Trump. Still, sources insist that she hasn’t yet been fully accepted into the fold. “She’s trying hard,” one insider told the *Daily Mail,* “but the First Family isn’t taking her to heart.”
For now, the couple continues to put on a united front, dividing their time between high-society gatherings, family appearances, and quiet weekends away from the spotlight. But among those who know them best, questions linger about whether Bettina Anderson — the glamorous Palm Beach banker’s daughter who once aimed for Elon Musk — will ever truly find her footing inside the most scrutinized family in America.
