Political commentators are anxious to inject the Trump name into the early 2028 GOP race
What qualities will conservatives and Republicans look for in the next GOP presidential nominee?
It’s a concept many right-leaning voters haven’t needed to think about for a long time. The 2016 nominating cycle was the last one where a good chunk of Republicans were forced to make a choice. The contest evolved into a grudge match pitting outsiders vs. establishmentarians to determine the direction and fate of the party opposite the increasingly socialism-tolerating Democrats.
A bombastic first-time politician defied the experts and completely disregarded historical precedent to come away with the nomination. It wasn’t easy for him. The campaign, if you recall, was downright nasty. Remember how race runner-up Texas Senator Ted Cruz refused to endorse Donald Trump at the party convention?
No matter. Trump dominated the GOP – and America – practically ever since. But has the country finally started tiring of Trump? Would they be open to perpetuating the Trump reign, but under a different man?
We could very well find out in the next year or so.
In an article titled, “Donald Trump Jr: The Candidate No One Is Talking About”, Spencer Neale wrote at The American Conservative recently:
“…If MAGA is defined more by proximity to President Donald Trump than by principles, succession becomes a question of loyalty, not policy. In that world, the next standard-bearer isn’t the most consistent or experienced but whoever can inherit Trump’s connection to his base. And that is why the most overlooked potential candidate in the 2028 Republican primary field may also be the most obvious: Donald Trump Jr. …
“But the world of politics is fraught with backstabbing and disharmony. Though Don Jr. helped Vance secure the vice presidency in 2024, that doesn’t mean he’ll step aside if he fears a loss could damage his father’s legacy. And Don Jr. has something Vance will never possess: the name, the brand, and the instincts that made his father a generational political figure. No one else in the field can claim that.
“In the end, the question facing MAGA is not simply who can carry Trump’s agenda forward, but who can embody the man himself. If the answer is rooted less in policy than in identity, loyalty, and instinct, then Donald Trump Jr. is much more than a dark horse. He is a logical extension. And in a primary likely to be defined by Trump, that proximity may matter more than anything else.”
Are you convinced?
Well, by the very nature of addressing this Trump Jr. topic, it demonstrates that at least one person is talking about the possibility Donald Trump Jr. could be thinking about following up on his father’s remarkable political revolution.
By the way, Neale’s subheading for his piece was, “For MAGA, familiarity may matter more than experience.”
So, before we’d even dove into the gist of his argument, we’d gathered that Spencer was advancing a premise that the Trump name and brand would rank anything the other, non-Trump candidates would say. Why not just call off the primaries? If Donald Sr. could merely abdicate the throne to his boy, wouldn’t it save us a lot of trouble?
We’ve grappled with the man vs. movement conundrum for virtually the entire time Donald Trump (senior) has been in politics. Everyone knew when Trump Sr. appeared in the first GOP debate over ten years ago (in August, 2015) that the often stuffy and stodgy world of Republican politics was about to receive a hefty dose of adrenaline, whether the powers-that-be ordered it or not.
The subject has been regularly hashed over and, while all sides of the argument make decent points, there’s no certain answer to the mystery of who will follow Donald J. Trump. And will that person automatically win over the masses of MAGA supporters, the foundation for everything Trump was able to accomplish in his decade-plus of politicking?
Donald Trump is so special, so unique, that it’s much too simple to declare that his skills and aura would descend to another non-politician who happened to be related to him by blood. I’m frankly surprised the word “dynasty” hasn’t entered into the common vernacular. Why stop with Don Jr.? Why not suggest son Eric Trump will follow Don Jr. and son Barron will be old enough in what, fifteen years? Or how about daughters Ivanka and Tiffany?
Wouldn’t a succession of Trumps more than rankle the leftist “No Kings!” morons cheering and calling for systematic removal of the man they assert governs like a monarch?
But the primary reason Donald Trump Jr. isn’t necessarily as viable as some of the pols Neale mentioned in his treatment – JD Vance, Marco Rubio and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis – is the same rationale for why Michele Obama couldn’t automatically dispense with campaigning and rightfully assume power in Democrat-land with a cursory flick of her bony hand.
That being the qualities that made Donald J. Trump, and Barack Obama what they are. The party leaders they turned out to be was about much more than just a brand or a five-letter last name. There was the “it” factor involved, the cult of personality when combined with uncanny persuasive powers and individual presence that instantly made them stand apart from the crowd.
That’s not easy to realize in the world of politics. And this is why Ronald Reagan possessed what it took to succeed in the dog-eat-dog universe of American campaigning and son Michael – or Ron Jr. – was never considered an heir… to anything.
Not even the Bush family qualifies as a dynasty even though father and eldest son became the first intra-family presidential team since the Adams clan established the precedent in the early days of the American republic. Jeb (!) Bush carried the standard of the family name in 2016. Ask the former Florida governor what he thinks about brothers and sons betting a name alone is sufficient to get them farther.
The plain fact is, Donald J. Trump brought his decades of media exposure and expertise into his campaign for president. Trump was used to being in front of the cameras (of all types), was well known by the movers n’ shakers of major media and enjoyed virtually universal name recognition from the start.
He was the legendary big building and golf course real estate developer, tabloid celebrity and driving force behind “The Apprentice” before even embarking on his second career in “retirement”. In the process, Trump didn’t need to spend a lot on political consultants or advertising because his persona carried a good portion of the load. And Trump (Sr.) had done hundreds of interviews on virtually every topic prior to running for office. He knew his stuff. Trump’s business empire lent him credibility in addition.
Can the same be said for Don Jr.?
By virtue of the family moniker and proximity to his father, most people assume the son would have a leg-up on his competition for post-Trump Republican party bragging rights. But what happens when Don Jr. takes the stage in a debate and is asked to articulate his issue positions… What will he reply, “Well, my dad did (this and that) and I intend to be just like him.”
Trump (Sr.) is well-regarded in Republican-land, but I highly doubt most thinking conservatives are prepared and willing to lay down their principles and welcome Don Jr. as the new leader of the GOP without forcing the younger man through the vetting wringer of politics.
Neale cited several polls showing Don Jr. as having a base of support behind JD Vance and alongside Marco Rubio. But who are Don Jr’s biggest backers? The Trump son’s ex-wife is now dating Tiger Woods. Will MAGA fans see this fact as a positive or a negative?
Other than those types of personal bonds, there’s very little to distinguish Don Jr. from any other famous and wealthy progeny. He’s frequently sighted around his father, but what does he personally believe?
Loyalty to the father and the MAGA brand isn’t necessarily transferable, just like it wasn’t a given that Jeb Bush would step into the frontrunner’s position in 2016 just because his brother and father had been president. This isn’t Great Britain and the Trumps aren’t like the Kennedy “Camelot” branch of that family, either.
Time will tell if Don Jr. opts to try his hand at a political career, but here’s thinking he’s got to establish himself as a separate entity from his father first. Don Jr. certainly possesses a similar type of personality as his dad, but a lifetime’s worth of street smarts, negotiating skills and business know-how won’t be absorbed in such a short time frame.
One can’t help but feel it’s probably not the right moment for Donald Trump Jr.’s name to enter the 2028 Republican presidential conversation. Commentators hoping to keep the Trump outsider win streak in the discussion had better search for a different storyline to obsess over.
Jeff Rendall is editor and publisher of GolfintheUSA.com and has written about golf and politics for over a quarter of a century. A non-practicing attorney from California, he moved to the east coast three decades ago to pursue and combine his interests in all things American history and culture. Jeff has worked as an intern on Capitol Hill and in various capacities in grassroots organizing and conservative organizations and publications, including a nearly two-decade stint at ConservativeHQ.com. Column republishing or other inquiries: Rendall@msn.com .