“Ivanka is Donald Trump’s biggest supporter and most trusted advisor,” gushed one woman’s magazine in 2017. And, by all accounts, nobody else in the Trump administration had the president’s ear more than his first daughter, Ivanka Trump. Along with her husband, real estate mogul Jared Kushner, Ivanka was the ultimate power behind the MAGA throne.
Indeed, she was even described as her father’s “eyes and ears.”
During the first Trump term, Ivanka and Jared had their paws all over the inner workings of the federal government. Her hubby spearheaded an attempt to eliminate government waste, telling the Washington Post, “We should have excellence in government. The government should be run like a great American company. Our hope is that we can achieve success and efficiencies for our customers, who are the citizens.”
And Jared was so successful that eight years later, Elon Musk had to go back and do it for real.
Still, the Ivanka-Jared fingerprints were real. Steve Bannon was fired (and cried?) when he went against ‘em. They even outranked the secretary of state, functioning de facto as America’s top diplomats. They were everywhere!
Not anymore. They’re gone.
And instead, it’s a different first child who’s now first in line to the president.
This first child isn’t drop-dead gorgeous like Ivanka. When he enters a room, jaws aren’t dropping, nor is every eyeball instantly drawn in. Ivanka was a natural-born superstar; she had that undefinable — yet utterly undeniable — “it” factor. Her smile and magnetism could light up the room (and, for optics, the inclusion of such a photogenic young woman in the Trump White House served a valuable PR purpose).
This first child lacks all that. But what he has in its place are authentic conservative instincts, passions, and the firsthand knowledge that can only be gained by actually doing the grunt work: he’s crisscrossed the country! He’s written books! He’s traveled extensively, campaigning and promoting pro-MAGA policies!
He’s the one who pushed for JD Vance to be Trump’s vice president. (One outlet described him as Vance’s “close friend and unabashed supporter.”)
Of all the differences between the first two Trump terms, the biggest difference is in the personnel. We’ve gone from milquetoast Mike Pence to the firebrand JD Vance. (Could you even imagine Pence calling out Zelensky on his rudeness? I can’t. Pence would’ve saluted Zelensky and refilled his coffee mug.) Suddenly, the future of the MAGA movement is in a much different place.
That’s because we’ve also gone from Ivanka Trump… to Don Trump Jr.
I think he’s overlooked because of his name. “Junior” sounds dismissive and diminutive. It’s always weird when a grown man (voluntarily!) refers to himself as Junior:
HIM: Hi! I’m Junior.
ME: Yeah, I’ll bet you are.
If he were named Donald Trump II, he’d sound more impressive — like he’s the sequel: New and improved! (Don’t roll your eyes: names are important. Why do you think George W. Bush went by “W” instead of “Junior”?)
These personnel changes weren’t just cosmetic; they were substantive and deliberate. Trump’s first term was dominated by names including Mike Pence, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Rex Tillerson, Nikki Haley, and Reince Priebus. Today, the names are JD Vance, Pam Bondi, Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, Elon Musk… and Don Trump Jr.
It’s a different attitude, too.
When ex-Fox News journalist Diana Falzone broke a blockbuster news story earlier in the month — “Exclusive: Donald Trump Jr. Considering a Run for President in 2028” — there were lots of ways for the first son to throw salt on the story. (Full disclosure: I haven’t spoken to Ms. Falzone in several years, but we’ve collaborated on dozens of different stories for Fox News and Vanity Fair. I’ve always found her to be fair and professional.)
If Falzone’s article had been about Ivanka considering a presidential bid, you could easily imagine how she’d issue her disavowal: Ivanka would sadly shake her head, saying that she’s flattered by all the attention, but golly gee, she doesn’t want to be a professional politician. (And she’d look gorgeous all the while.) No biggee.
That’s not the Don Trump Jr. approach. Check out his rebuttal to Falzone, because it could ONLY be described as “Trumpian”:
I accurately predicted that my buddy JD would be an instant power player in national GOP politics, so your theory is that I worked my [censored] off to help get him the VP nomination because I want to run for president in 2028? Are you f----ing retarded? I’m actually glad you’re printing this bulls--- though because at least now the rest of the press corps will see how s---ty your “sources” are and how easily you’re played by them. Congrats, moron.
Now that’s a rebuttal!
Could you even imagine Ivanka or Jared speaking like that?!
It’s a different tone — and a far different ethos — than before. That’s because it’s a different first child whispering in the president’s ear.
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