One of the weirder aspects of this country, one founded to get away from lineages and family power, is how quickly political dynasties have risen to impact presidential politics. Of course, there were always senate seats that passed down from father to son (Or House seats to daughter in the case of the Cheneys) but it didn’t rise to presidential politics. Perhaps the Kennedys were a unique set of circumstances with JFK and RFK but tragically we know how that all turned out. And yet with the invention of the Bush family, the compelling case of the Clintons, and the call for Michelle Obama to step up, there is now almost an expectation that members of presidential families continue to be seen as viable or desired candidates. It is happening again as it appears as though Donald Trump Junior aspires to be the heir apparent to his father and Donald Trump may be right there in on the plans. Move over JD, drop that mic Ron.
Early reports do not necessarily account for the expectations of the average Trump voter. These reflect the longer term plans of the people closest to President Donald Trump, including Trump himself. As originally reported by Mediaite:
When President Donald Trump sat down for an interview with Fox News last month, anchor Bret Baier asked what should have been a softball question: “Do you view Vice President JD Vance as your successor, the Republican nominee in 2028?” Trump’s response was glaring. “No, but he’s very capable,” the president said matter-of-factly. “I mean, I don’t think that it, you know, I think you have a lot of very capable people. So far, I think he’s doing a fantastic job. It’s too early, we’re just starting.”
Now, that sounds plenty reasonable. The “No” is a bit definitive but as Trump notes, the guy is capable and it is early so – maybe that “no” is a bit out of context. Actually, “No” it is not – it’s the part about Vance being capable and it’s early that’s a bit of a throwaway, at least if one accepts what’s coming:
The ease with which Trump threw his vice president under the bus came as a shock to observers who expected Vance to carry on the MAGA torch when Trump leaves office in 2028. But it came as little surprise to several in Trump’s inner circle, who said the remarks reflected the president’s desire to keep his dynasty alive. Three high-level sources told Mediaite that Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son and an omnipresent MAGA evangelist across the internet, is seriously considering a run for president in 2028.
It actually isn’t that surprising even if one ignored the whole family dynasty thing, the one that includes every one of the last five presidents with the exception of Joe Biden – and even that is impacted by the death of his son Beau – who may well have been his heir apparent, too. But it’s also not surprising given how naturally Don Jr. has immersed himself into the movement that comprises Trump’s base. Don Jr. has managed to pull off what would otherwise be impossible – he’s gone from the midtown Manhattan uber rich real estate heir to the animal shooting camo guy who speaks MAGA more fluently than even his dad.
But as much as the family may want this and even as much as many Trump supporters may be inclined, the journey to the very top of presidential politics necessarily involves stepping on the heads of many people who aspire to the same rank and – this might be key – already have some experience in stepping on people’s heads. Again, Vance and DeSantis are but two random examples of about two dozen who at least see themselves as worthy of being “next.” The open question is how much Donald Trump himself can personally direct the process. It would be with abject totality if the decision were to be made now. But things change and it’s almost unknowable as to what it might be like as he gets closer to the end of his presidency rather than the beginning that is here and now.
All of this is mere chat, probably stuff that only comes up after the first three margaritas at Mar-a-Lago, and won’t get serious until it gets serious, whenever that might be. Still, it would seem that the “No” is pretty serious. So, it’s probably not a good idea to scoff at the likelihood that Don. Jr. may find himself drafted as the next Trump.
We know that JD is probably not scoffing.
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And the MAGA faithful will resoundingly get behind THIS particular “DEI hire.”
What does Junior have that makes him remotely qualified to be President? He can’t even boast about being a “businessman” (for which Drumpf Sr could at least make a claim; he did, after all, go a bit further than his father did). Junior hasn’t done anything that he could legitimately claim was *HIS* and only his; most of his “business career” was spent doing Daddy’s bidding at Daddy’s companies (again, Daddy, at least, created a *BRAND*).
At any rate, it seems like Junior may be a bit hasty with this announcement since Daddy hasn’t exactly put the brakes on suggestions of allowing him to run again in 2028 (or just be “President-for-Life”). Senior was never happy with the idea of having offspring named for him (he could turn out to be a failure which, of course, would “ruin” the name forever) so I doubt he’s going to take Junior’s “consideration” all that joyously.
DEI apropos to Don, Eric, Ivanka
in a sane world,, Junior wouldn’t make it to.middle management. He’s dumb as a rock. He’s never held a real job. His wealth is inherited. His main hobbies are shooting defenseless animals and snorting coke. And he has all the charisma of an overcooked noodle. If he didn’t have money, he would never get laid.
And now he wants to be president.
Stupid?
Tone deaf?
Thin skinned?
Attention span of a coked up squirrel?
Named Trump?
He’s the heir apparent alright.