Who is Bettina Anderson, the socialite seen holding hands with Donald Trump Jr?

Donald Trump Jr., the eldest of the president-elect’s children, has reportedly started a new romance with Florida socialite Bettina Anderson. The pair were spotted holding hands in photographs obtained by The Daily Mail on Tuesday, amid rumors of a split between Trump Jr. and his fiancé Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Though he isn’t publicly separated from Guilfoyle, it appears that Trump Jr., 46, has made no secret of his new relationship with Anderson, whom he joined in Palm Beach to celebrate her 38th birthday.

Guilfoyle, 55, and Trump Jr. have been dating since 2018 and got engaged in 2020. Guilfoyle was previously married to California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Here’s what we know about Anderson and her reported relationship with Trump Jr.:

Bettina Anderson is a model and activist

On Instagram, Anderson describes herself as “a typical stay at home mom, only I don’t do household chores… or have a husband… or have kids.”

She often shares pictures from her photoshoots with her 42,000 followers, including her work as the face behind luxury jeweler and designer Hamilton Jewelers.

Anderson also appeared on a 2022 cover of Palm Beach Illustrated to discuss her nonprofit, The Paradise Fund, which aims to “educate and spread awareness about causes of… ongoing changes in weather patterns that ultimately become natural disasters.”

She co-founded the nonprofit with her brothers Kent and Loy in 2005, which provides disaster relief to impacted communities and funding for Florida-based filmmakers to share stories about the importance of conservation efforts.

Anderson is the daughter of late banking mogul Harry Loy Anderson Jr., who became the youngest bank president in U.S. history when he took over Worth Avenue National Bank at just 26 years old.

The relationship between Anderson and Trump Jr.

Anderson and Trump Jr. were first romantically linked in August 2024. The Daily Mail published photos of the alleged couple eating lunch at The Honor Bar in Palm Beach, with the publication claiming that they were seen kissing multiple times. The Honor Bar is located just over four miles from the Trumps’ Mar-a-Lago resort.

During Tuesday’s outing, The Daily Mail reported that the couple spent nearly two hours at the high-end bistro Buccan. They emerged from the restaurant laughing, with no apparent qualms about the nearby paparazzi. The same day, Anderson also posted a photo of a romantic flower delivery on her Instagram story, where she discreetly tagged @donaldtrumpjr in the top left corner.

It wasn’t the first time Anderson seemingly hinted at her relationship with Trump Jr. in an Instagram story, The List reported. During Election Day, in between a flurry of pro-Trump content, Anderson shared an image of a flower delivery with a card attached that read, “Happy 8 months, love you.”

While blurry, the card reportedly read, “Can’t believe it’s already been 245 days.” If the timeline is accurate, this means Trump Jr. and Anderson would have started their relationship in early March, possibly explaining the notoriously awkward anniversary tribute Trump Jr. made to Guilfoyle on his Instagram in April.

Has Trump Jr. confirmed the new relationship?

Several hours after Tuesday’s photos were published online, President-elect Trump announced plans to nominate Guilfoyle as his U.S. ambassador to Greece. She has also been a longtime surrogate for the president-elect.

Trump Jr. congratulated Guilfoyle on X formerly Twitter, writing about her nomination: “I am so proud of Kimberly. She loves America and she always has wanted to serve the country as an Ambassador. She will be an amazing leader for America First.”

Neither Trump Jr. nor Guilfoyle have publicly addressed the alleged split.

But that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill, with one X user responding to the post by asking: “Can your dad send my ex overseas, too?”

Melissa Cruz is an elections reporting fellow who focuses on voter access issues for the USA TODAY Network. You can reach her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, at @MelissaWrites22.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Bettina Anderson? The socialite has been linked to Trump Jr.