Which Trump family members could have influence in a second administration?
MILWAUKEE - Even within Donald Trump’s family there are more MAGA and less MAGA members.
The more MAGA wing is ascendant as the former Republican president seeks to reclaim the White House, and is poised to wield the most influence in a second Trump administration. That was evident in Milwaukee this week at the Republican National Convention as the GOP wrapped up four days of party pageantry.
Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. was everywhere, while daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, controversial veterans from the last Trump White House, only made a brief appearance.
The rise of Donald Trump Jr. as the most politically active, and arguably the most influential, Trump family member already is having big implications for a potential second Trump administration after he helped cement a kindred spirit, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, as his father's running mate. Vance has transformed into a MAGA true believer with isolationist and economic populist beliefs who would help Trump further steer the nation in that direction.
During Trump's tumultuous presidency, Ivanka Trump and Kushner often were portrayed as checks on some of the more hard right figures around the former president when it came to issues such as immigration policy, even as they were pilloried over nepotism concerns and financial conflicts of interest.
Donald Trump Jr. is a MAGA star, who embraces the same kind of slashing style his father is known for and is beloved by the former president’s most ardent followers.
“I think Don Jr. is the one who delivers his father’s message most closely to the way he would do it,” Corey Lewandowski, who ran Trump’s campaign for a stretch in 2016 and is helping with the current campaign, told USA TODAY as he circulated around the convention. “He has a massive following… and Don. Jr truly loves this stuff, I mean that’s what he does.”
The eldest Trump son’s rising influence is another sign that a second Trump administration could be more extreme than the first, although plenty of signs already were pointing in that direction and the former president is far and away the biggest force driving that, promising a slew of controversial moves, from mass deportations to a more politicized justice system.
The influence of unaccountable family members with their own motives and conflicts may only heighten the concerns surrounding Trump's comeback bid.
Trump family business
Trump’s family always has been integral to his businesses, and politics is now the family business.
During Trump’s presidency both Ivanka Trump and Kushner took official jobs in the White House, but have since receded from the spotlight. They aren't active in the 2024 campaign.
That has led to speculation about which Trump family members could replace them as the biggest power players if he is re-elected, and attention has centered around Donald Trump Jr., his fiancé Kimberly Guilfoyle, his brother Eric Trump and Eric’s wife Lara Trump, the co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
Those four were the most visible Trump family members in Milwaukee. All had prominent speaking slots.
Even Donald Trump Jr’s oldest daughter delivered brief remarks, but Ivanka Trump and Kushner never spoke in public, only appearing on the last night to watch the convention from the former president's suite and join him on stage afterward with a large group of family members.
Trump’s wife Melania and youngest son Barron didn’t have speaking roles either, although Melania also made an appearance on the last night of the convention in the suite and on stage after her husband's speech.
Barron Trump, 18, originally was announced as a delegate for his father from Florida but that was canceled, sparking speculation that his mother objected. He later appeared at a Trump rally in Miami in the run up to the convention, his first appearance on the campaign trail according to his father, who introduced him and declared “welcome to the scene, Barron.”
Barron Trump is headed to college, though, and isn’t expected to have a prominent role in the campaign.
Melania Trump also seems unlikely to take an active role in the campaign. She has rarely appeared in public since leaving the White House and especially in recent months as her husband was on trial, which resulted in 34 felony convictions for falsifying business records in a case stemming from hush money payments to a porn star to conceal an alleged affair.
Melania Trump is simply a private person who has been focused on raising Barron, according to those close to the family.
“I’ve seen Melania down at Mar-a-Lago with him, but Melania’s gone through a lot,” former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told USA TODAY, noting she recently lost her mother and “watched the assassination attempt on her husband.”
'They'll all be influential'
Some Trump allies played down the idea that any one family member is more influential than another, and noted that the former president listens to a wide array of voices.
“I think they’ll all be influential,” Charlie Kirk, the founder of the youth-focused Turning Point USA and an influential figure in Trump world, told USA TODAY on the convention floor Wednesday. “Eric is very close. Don. Ivanka still is listened to, I’m sure.”
Ric Grenell, Trump’s former acting director of national intelligence and another influential figure in Trump’s orbit who is expected to serve in a second Trump administration if he wins, said Donald Trump Jr. is “a very accomplished and a wonderful person, so of course you’re going to listen to him.
“But Donald Trump listens to a whole bunch of people,” he added.
Trump's eldest sons rise in prominence
Trump’s two eldest sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. have always been prominent campaign surrogates. They've been heavily involved in his political activities since the 2016 run.
Now they are standing above all other Trump family members, though, as the most public figures, along with Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump.
At the convention, Trump’s sons were highly visible presences from beginning to end, starting with the delegate roll call on Monday where they stood on the floor — along with daughter Tiffany Trump and Lara Trump — to call out the Florida delegates for their father, giving him the tally he needed to secure the nomination.
Both appeared with their father in the evenings in his suite to watch the convention with a rotating group of figures close to the campaign.
Both gave high-profile convention speeches, with Eric Trump speaking shortly before his father Thursday and Donald Trump Jr. before Vance Wednesday.
Both attended various events before the evening convention programs.
Eric Trump spoke at a breakfast for the Florida delegation, which he chaired.
Donald Trump Jr. spoke at an event hosted by Axios, where he made it clear that he is heavily involved in campaign decisions and could be a major factor in a second Trump administration.
He talked about aggressively pushing Vance as his father’s VP nominee, repeatedly countering those promoting other candidates. And he said that while he won’t be the one picking who gets to serve in his father’s administration if he wins, he plans to act as a gatekeeper and keep those he deems unworthy out.
“I just want to be the veto,” he said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump Jr. is rising in influence as Ivanka takes a back seat
