Donald Trump’s son claims waterboarding ‘no different to what happens in college frat houses’

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Donald Trump’s son, Eric, has backed his father’s recent support of waterboarding by playing down use of the interrogation method widely considered to be torture, suggesting it’s “no different to what happens in college frat houses”.

On Sunday, during a Republican candidacy debate in New Hampshire ahead of the crucial vote there on Tuesday, Trump said of the controversial interrogation technique: “I would bring back waterboarding and I’d bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding”.

Now his 32-year-old son, who is an Executive Vice President of The Trump Organisation and founder of the Eric Trump Foundation, supported his father’s sentiments during a discussion with Fox News.

When asked about the comments, Eric told host Greta Van Susteren: “You see those these terrorists that are flying planes into buildings, right? You see our cities getting shot up in California. You see Paris being shot up and then somebody complains when terrorists get waterboarded which quite frankly is no different to what happens in college frat houses every day.”

He continued: “The man would keep this country safe, there’s no doubt about it.”

Quite what he was referring to at college fraternity houses wasn’t made clear, but many stories have emerged of initiation rituals and hazings at frat house across America.

Waterboarding mimics the sensation of drowning and was used by the CIA after 09/11 during the so-called War on Terror.