Over the last 5 years, Sean Alley (my co-host) and myself have interviewed some of the greatest people in Sporting Clays. We have interviewed World and National Champions, Olympians, and state champions, hall of famers, and generally the greatest shooters in the game, as well as Skeet and Trap, respectively.
However, it’s not just about the shooters. We have also featured people from all over the industry. Manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, trap equipment, oils, vests, glasses, and gear, you name it. By the publishing of this article, we have recorded just north of 220 episodes. We have even recorded with celebrities like Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, and Paul Hebert of Wicked Tuna. Hell, I even flew to California and built a 5-Stand for Guy!
The people we have interviewed have every type of personality you can imagine. From funny to arrogant, to quiet and reserved, to loud and outgoing. From interesting and informative, to just flat out entertaining. Sean and I have learned a lot about shooting as well as the inner workings of the industry. We also learned a lot about people, in general.
When I was asked to write an article on the most interesting guest we interviewed on The Dead Pair Podcast, I immediately had one individual in mind, and not for the reasons you might think. It’s not because of his ability to shoot nor his political standpoint. It’s not because of his wealth or power. It is truly because of who he is, as a person. We have even become texting buddies over the last year and a half, giving me the opportunity to learn even more about him. Who is this person? None other than Eric Trump.
Why does he stand out? As I stated, it has nothing to do with his celebrity, political, or financial status. Eric is one of the most genuine, down-to-earth people on the planet. When we had him on the show, he had mentioned that he "worked for an entire summer to save up for his first over/under shotgun". This caught my attention, because this is not a family that needs to "save up" to buy a shotgun!
His work ethic is that of a blue-collar construction worker from the 1960s. Work hard, provide for the family, and play when you can. We are talking about the son of a billionaire, so having that kind of work ethic, speaks volumes about his character. But it goes deeper than work ethic. There are a multitude of celebrities who shoot various disciplines and sports, but how many know the length of pull on their shotgun? Eric does.
He loves all forms of shooting. Long distance rifle, pistol, and of course anything clay target. He really nerds-out on firearms. He even does his own gunsmithing and loads his own ammo. Not because he must, but because he has a passion for it.
In one of our recent discussions, we went into extreme detail on the finer points of his loading recipes and reason for them. Everything was on the table including his favorite calibers, firearms and several other topics related to every aspect of the shooting sports. He shared his deeply held position on youth involvement in the shooting sports. As we know; training, outreach and mentorship for the shooting sports as well as hunting ethics and conservation is a vital responsibility those of us in the industry share. He articulated this as an ethos and guiding principle which he pursues and supports passionately.
It’s wonderful to see the “real” person behind the public persona. Particularly when that real person is a hardworking, red-blooded American hunter and shooter who uses his amazing platform to support and defend the principles we all hold dear. Eric Trump is just like us…just with a bigger gun room.
