Is Donald Trump Jr. Running for Office? He’s brash, indefatigable, speaks plainly, and the Republican Party base is in love with him. No, I’m not talking about Donald Trump. I’m referring to his oldest son, Donald Trump, Jr. A fixture on the campaign trail both in 2016 and 2020, serving sometimes as an opening act for his father at packed rallies or as a surrogate at various donor gatherings on the campaign trail, Don, Jr., always could pack a room—and keep his Republican audiences enraptured for the entirety of his extemporaneous speeches.
These speeches were barely cooked, bloody, and thick pieces of red meat for the fed-up Republican base looking to hear about how awful their Democratic Party rivals were and that President Trump was going to exact retribution upon these forces for their wrongdoings. Essentially, Don, Jr., fused grievance, righteous indignation, and hardcore conservative talking point seamlessly in a package that appealed to the Right.
It was obvious that Don, Jr., was being a dutiful son when he took to the campaign trail. What neither he nor his father anticipated was how much of a stud he’d become to the Republican audiences he was ginning up.
Don, Jr., was never really known for anything other than being the oldest son of Donald Trump. As a young man, he had some problems that were an outgrowth of his parents’ record-making divorce that dominated the New York tabloids and became international news for months. Don, Jr., always felt like his father never had time for him and that he could never live up to his father’s name and expectations—something that multiple sources who were close with the Trump family at this time have repeatedly claimed.
Initially viewed as bland by the media; a mere lackey for his father, the campaign trail allowed for Donald Trump, Jr., to step into his own comfort zone. In fact, there were times when the presidential son seemed more comfortable in the political limelight than even his father. It all came naturally to him.
Trump, Jr., spoke with the enthusiasm of The Five’s morning anchors, the insults of Ann Coulter, the worldview of Tucker Carlson, and the anger of Sean Hannity. Don, Jr., was just what the Trump Campaign needed when they couldn’t get Donald Trump himself or if they needed a crowd for Donald Trump galvanized into a fever-pitch before stepping out.
There were rumors that Don, Jr., wanted to challenge then-Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) for her congressional seat. Cheney had been a notorious Trump critic—belonging to the “Never Trump” wing of the Republican Party. Her popularity in Wyoming was plummeting, the more publicly opposed to President Trump she became. By the time the January 6 riot commenced and pro-Trump rioters stormed Capitol Hill to disrupt the certification process of the 2020 Presidential Election, Cheney led the effort to investigate Trump on the January 6 Committee.
For Don, Jr., this was an affrontery beyond reproach.
In fact, it was reported that Don, Jr., almost did run for the Senate seat in Wyoming in 2020. He opted against running that year for reasons unknown. Now that his father is waging his last political campaign for president, it could be that Don, Jr., decides to enter politics sometime after 2024. He does not want to steal the spotlight from his attention-seeking father.
If, however, Donald Trump loses his bid for reelection in 2024 or if he does become president and cannot run again, then the son will likely seek to run at some point thereafter.
The base loves him. He’s over-the-top and therefore gets all kinds of free press. His opponents rarely can get a word in edgewise with him—it really doesn’t make sense that Don, Jr., wouldn’t run for an elected office as a Republican. Since he was a young man, Don, Jr., was seeking out ways to differentiate himself from his successful father (while at the same time following his father into whatever field Donald Trump was working in).
Until he fell into politics, the son was constantly eclipsed by the father. But, in Republican Party politics, Donald Trump, Jr., is his own entity. In fact, there are times when audiences seek him out not just because they can’t get his father to come speak to them, but because they enjoy Donald Trump, Jr.’s style. For someone who spent a lifetime seeking to stand apart from his father professionally, politics offers the younger Trump a way to achieve that goal.
Whether Don, Jr.’s visceral partisan politics would appeal to voters in a general election is another matter. However, he could certainly win a Republican primary. Especially if he chooses to run for Congress in a Red State, like Wyoming or Montana.
The real question should be: is the world ready for a Congressman or Senator Donald Trump, Jr.?
The answer will at least be wildly entertaining.
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Brandon J. Weichert is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who serves as a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive.com. Weichert is a contributor at The Washington Times, as well as a contributing editor at American Greatness and the Asia Times. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower(Republic Book Publishers), The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy (March 28), and Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life (May 16). Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
