{"id":2609363,"date":"2026-06-02T05:24:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T09:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/could-donald-trump-jr-launch-a-2028-presidential-campaign\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T05:27:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T09:27:43","slug":"could-donald-trump-jr-launch-a-2028-presidential-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/could-donald-trump-jr-launch-a-2028-presidential-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Donald Trump Jr. launch a 2028 presidential campaign?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcould-donald-trump-jr-launch-a-2028-presidential-campaign%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2609363&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Donald Trump Jr. hasn\u2019t entirely ruled out a 2028 presidential run, though he has said he has \u201cZERO interest\u201d in running \u201cin 28 or anytime soon.\u201d Even so, some Republican voters appear receptive to him as a potential \u201cdark-horse\u201d option, with polls placing him in third place behind Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of state Marco Rubio.<\/p>\n<p>CPAC\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/marco-rubio-emerges-as-a-2028-favorite-at-cpac\/\" title=\"Marco ... emerges as a 2028 favorite at CPAC\">2026 straw poll<\/a> had Vance leading (53%) with Rubio second (25%) and Trump Jr. tied at 2% with Gov. Ron DeSantis. A RealClearPolitics composite also shows Trump Jr. averaging 10.4%, behind Vance (38.6%) and Rubio (21.9%). Still, whether Trump Jr. would enter the race could depend on how things unfold politically-particularly the 2026 midterms in key states like Iowa, which has competitive races on the ballot.<\/p>\n<p>Supporters and insiders note Trump Jr. has name recognition, strong existing contacts from his father\u2019s prior campaigns, and experience from being closely involved with the first family. Others, however, doubt he would be seen as a serious alternative beyond his last name, arguing voters won\u2019t simply choose him for that reason alone. Additional speculation has been fueled by gossip claims about his <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >long-term political planning<\/a>, but counterpoints include his ongoing business activities and the time demands of a campaign. There\u2019s also a separate report that Amazon may consider him as a host for a reboot of *The Apprentice*, which his father publicly encouraged, further complicating the idea that Trump Jr. is preparing an immediate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/zeldin-accuses-state-department-of-sanctioning-former-albanian-president-as-retribution-for-loyalty-to-republicans\/\" title=\"Zeldin Accuses State Department of Sanctioning Former Albanian ... as Retribution for Loyalty to Republicans\">political bid<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First son <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump-jr\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11068\">Donald Trump Jr.<\/a> has not completely ruled out launching a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2028-elections\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11676\">2028<\/a> presidential campaign. But speculation is brewing that he could be positioning himself as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bank-of-america-chief-exec-brian-moynihan-added-to-short-list-to-replace-janet-yellen-at-treasury\/\" title=\"Bank of America Chief Exec Brian Moynihan Added to Short List to Re... Janet Yellen at Treasury\">dark-horse candidate<\/a> before primary jockeying picks up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vice President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"7658\">JD Vance<\/a> and Secretary of State <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marco-rubio\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"51\">Marco Rubio<\/a> are the heavy favorites to be frontrunners in the race if they eventually launch presidential campaigns. Yet there is some indication that Republican voters are receptive to President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> eldest son.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4589742\/judge-unseals-doj-fulton-county-fight-2020-election-worker-information\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Judge unseals DOJ fight with Fulton County over 2020 election worker information<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4587320\/gretchen-whitmer-2028-prospects-dim\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Once a rising star, Gretchen Whitmer\u2019s 2028 prospects dim<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4588101\/why-massie-could-run-for-president\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Why Thomas Massie could run for president<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 2026 Conservative Political Action Conference poll showed Trump Jr. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cpac.org\/post\/official-cpac-usa-2026-straw-poll-results\">tied in third place <\/a>with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) at 2%. Vance won the poll at 53%, and Rubio came in second at 25%.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/president\/republican-primary\/2028\/national\"><em>RealClearPolitics<\/em> composite<\/a> of 2028 polling also shows Trump Jr. in third place, averaging 10.4% support, behind Vance at 38.6% and Rubio at 21.9%.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump Jr. has said he\u2019s not interested in following in his father\u2019s footsteps. \u201cI\u2019ve always said, while I\u2019ll never 100% rule it out down the line, I have ZERO interest in running for office in 28 or anytime soon,\u201d he <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DonaldJTrumpJr\/status\/1925178925077983317\">wrote on X<\/a> last month. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But much could change between now and the primaries. Vance and Rubio still have two more years to navigate tumult in the Trump administration, currently bogged down by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"100\">Iran<\/a> war. They\u2019ll also need to contend with the president\u2019s continued grip on the Republican Party, even as his approval rating sinks. A recent Fox News poll found that 80% of Republican voters <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fox_may-15-18-2026_national_cross-tabs_may-20-release.pdf\">approve of Trump\u2019s presidency<\/a>, while nearly three-quarters of GOP voters support the Iran war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If they were to flounder, it could open the door for a figure not part of the second administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDon Jr. has seen the good, bad, and ugly of public office, and having been a part of the first family twice, there\u2019s a good chance that scratched the itch enough,\u201d said a source close to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/news\/white-house\/\" type=\"category\" id=\"125\">White House<\/a> who requested anonymity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bob Vander Plaats, an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/yes-the-church-is-the-bride-of-christ\/\" title=\"Yes, The Church Is The Bride Of Christ\">influential evangelical leader<\/a>\u00a0who heads the Family Leader, cautioned that any 2028 speculation will depend on the results of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11675\">midterm elections<\/a>. Iowa, known for its first-in-the-nation caucuses, will have a Senate race, a governor\u2019s race, and three competitive House races on the ballot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDon Jr. worked Iowa very hard for his dad in \u201916, \u201920, and \u201924, so he would have a lot of contacts here. His last name being Trump doesn\u2019t hurt him,\u201d said Vander Plaats. \u201cIf the midterms go really, really well for Iowa and the country, I think that\u2019s an advantage to JD Vance. If midterms go really south, that may be a disadvantage to a Vance, or maybe even a disadvantage to a Don Jr., because they probably read that as the country is ready to kind of move on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Democrats take back control of the House or Senate, Vander Plaats said, there would be more candidates willing to jump into the 2028 GOP primary. \u201cI do believe if the midterms don\u2019t go the way we\u2019d like them to go, it\u2019s probably going to be a big field of candidates,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">British gossip columnist Rob Shuter alleged in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/robshuter.substack.com\/p\/exclusive-don-jr-eyeing-white-house\">Substack post<\/a> that Trump Jr. is \u201cquietly positioning himself for a future presidential run\u201d and that getting married to his wife, Bettina Anderson, is part of that calculus. Yet the president\u2019s decision to skip the wedding to focus on the Iran war also allegedly increased speculation that he may not be as sold on a 2028 run for his offspring. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One national Republican strategist, who requested anonymity to speak freely, cast doubt on whether Trump Jr. is a viable presidential candidate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI just don\u2019t think that Republican primary voters are going to simply pick the son of Donald Trump because he\u2019s the son of Donald Trump; that is his only real qualification,\u201d said the strategist. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike his son, the president was known in the decades before his first presidential run in 2016 as a reality TV show host, a New York City businessman, and a frequent tabloid subject. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDonald Trump Jr. is basically a GOP bomb thrower who shares the name with the current president of the United States,\u201d said the strategist. \u201cThat is about the extent of his qualification. So I understand in polls he shows up in third place or fourth place because people recognize the name, but I have trouble believing that this is a real thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amazon <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/business\/media\/amazon-discusses-apprentice-rebootwith-don-jr-as-a-potential-host-fe09e885\">is reportedly<\/a> thinking of tapping the younger Trump to host a potential reboot of <em>The Apprentice<\/em>, the same show that made his father a national star. President Trump offered some words of encouragement about the report last month at a White House event. \u201cWe\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d said the president. \u201cHe\u2019s good. He\u2019s a good guy. He\u2019s probably good. He\u2019s got a little charisma going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4579701\/trump-missing-donald-jr-wedding-iran-war-deadline\/\"><strong>TRUMP MISSING SON\u2019S WEDDING BECAUSE OF NEED TO BE AT THE WHITE HOUSE AS IRAN WAR DEADLINE LOOMS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, a Make America Great Again figure from Trump\u2019s first administration cast doubt that Trump Jr. would run, citing his recent marriage and business interests.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDon Jr. is hitting his stride in business, looks more engaged than ever,\u201d said the official. \u201cSeems like he is everywhere with big deals both here and overseas. Don\u2019t know if he would take two years out of his life now to dedicate everything to politics.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Donald Trump Jr. hasn\u2019t ruled out 2028; speculation grows of a dark-horse bid<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2658,"featured_media":2609364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP25094085520622-e1780349998619.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[80656,33567,33668,32085,35165],"class_list":["post-2609363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-2028-presidential-campaign","tag-american-politics","tag-presidential-elections","tag-republican-party","tag-trump-jr"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP25094085520622-e1780349998619.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2609363"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609363\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2609367,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609363\/revisions\/2609367"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2609364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2609363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2609363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2609363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}