Don Jr. has reportedly supplanted Ivanka as Trump's heir apparent
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Donald Trump Jr. is gradually emerging as his father's political heir, usurping his sister, Ivanka, who has long been considered President Trump's favorite, The Atlantic reports.
It wasn't always this way. Trump Jr. was reportedly angling for a larger role in his father's 2016 presidential campaign, especially when campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was on the way out. The infamous Trump Tower meeting was reportedly a result of Trump Jr.'s efforts to take Lewandowski's post, though a spokesperson for Trump, Jr. dismissed the idea. "The Trump Tower meeting was was Don's move to take over the campaign," a former aide told The Atlantic. "He was trying to show his father he was competent."
People close to Trump reportedly knew he would never entrust his campaign to his eldest son, but that was a long time ago. It appears that Trump Jr. has managed to shift the perspective of his father, who has reportedly begun to appreciate his son's political value. Some of that is owed, in part, to Ivanka's diminishing star. Trump reportedly grew tired of the causes she and her husband, Jared Kushner, lobbied for, including climate issues, and would mockingly describe them as "New York liberals."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump Jr. has also received accolades from powerful Republicans who praise his "accessibility" and "irreverence," contrasting with his sister's more private and careful methods. "I can honestly say that outside of his father, Don is the No. 1 most requested speaker, and he brings the most energy to the conservative base," said Charlie Kirk, the founder and president of Turning Point USA.
If the Trump family establishes a political dynasty, as the campaign hopes, it would seem — for the moment, at least — that Trump Jr. will be the first to carry the torch. Read more at The Atlantic.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Corruption: The spy sheikh and the presidentFeature Trump is at the center of another scandal
-
Putin’s shadow warFeature The Kremlin is waging a campaign of sabotage and subversion against Ukraine’s allies in the West
-
Media: Why did Bezos gut ‘The Washington Post’?Feature Possibilities include to curry favor with Trump or to try to end financial losses
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Kurt Olsen: Trump’s ‘Stop the Steal’ lawyer playing a major White House roleIn the Spotlight Olsen reportedly has access to significant U.S. intelligence
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
