Why Don Jr. is wading into a GOP leadership fight

Donald Trump Jr.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images)

Republicans may be favored to win back the U.S. House of Representatives in Tuesday's midterm elections, but that victory is hardly guaranteed. Nevertheless, Republican leaders — and those jockeying to become one — have already begun planning for a GOP House majority, telegraphing their legislative agenda with increased certitude as we draw closer to Election Day.

It is into this atmosphere of growing confidence that one of the conservative movement's most influential unelected figures has allegedly begun wading, with Punchbowl News reporting that Donald Trump Jr. has started urging congressional allies to back Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) as the party's presumptive majority whip. But Trump's involvement in the fight to replace soon-to-be promoted current GOP whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) with Banks may be less about who he likes than who he doesn't: the man seen by many as the strongest contender for the spot, National Republican Congressional Committee chair, Rep. Tom Emmer, of Minnesota.

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Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.