How a New York Times writer tracked down Donald Trump Jr. after he went off the grid to go hunting
US president’s eldest son ended up in the middle of a busy airport with no Secret Service protection
Luke Dittrich, a writer for the New York Times Magazine, managed to track down Donald Trump Jr.after he ditched his US Secret Service detail and embarked on a bow-hunting expedition in the Canadian wilderness.
Dittrich says he received a phone call from a friend who was in Whitehorse, Canada’s Yukon Territory, and spotted a man who resembled President Donald Trump’s eldest son.
However, mysteriously absent from Trump Jr.’s side was the gaggle of Secret Service agents charged with protecting him.
Dittrich recounted the call he had with his friend:
“Are you sure it’s him?”
“Yes.”
“What’s he wearing?”
“I don’t know … outdoorsy gear. Gore-Tex. Khakis and boots. Baseball cap.”
“Is he with anyone?”
“Yeah … older guy, squat and short. And a young kid, maybe early 20s. Southern accents.”
Trump, Jr.’s social media accounts went dark after multiple news outlets reported that he had voluntarily given up his federal security detail in search of privacy.
With help from his friend, some background knowledge of Trump Jr.’s penchant for hunting, and an understanding of the area’s hunting activities, Dittrich eventually triangulated Trump Jr.’s possible location — and even what type of animals he might have been hunting.
Eventually, Dittrich and Trump Jr. found themselves in the same airport. He walked over the president’s son:
“Hey,” I said. “I’m Luke.”
I held out my hand, and he shook it.
“I’m Don,” he said.
I told him that I heard he was in the area, that I was with The New York Times Magazine and that I’d love to talk to him about his trip.
“The Times,” he said. “I never know where you guys are coming from.”
I asked if he bagged anything.
“I can’t really tell you that,” he said. ‘‘Let’s just say it was a good hunt.’’
“Was it a moose?”
“I can’t … look, I can’t say.”
After a brief chat off the record with Dittrich, Trump Jr. left, returning later to a much more crowded airport. The reporter noted the gravity of the situation. The US president’s eldest son, in the middle of a busy airport, with no Secret Service protection, whose exact location was tracked down by a reporter with minimal effort and resources.
Trump Jr. was reportedly back under Secret Service protection this week, CNN reported on Monday.