The next family business Trump: reelection 2020

A few hours before President Donald Trump began his re-election campaign last month with a rally in Florida, a handful of his grown-up children took the pickups to a ballroom at the Ritz Carlton Orlando to give the Republicans a day off. funds.

When a fundraiser garnered a particularly high donation by phone, one of the Trump children in the room, Donald Trump Jr. or Eric Trump, accompanied by Kimberly Guilfoyle and Lara Trump, was responding to the call. call to thank him or just talk about it. . At one point, Don Jr. joked in front of the group of about 50 fundraisers and staff members of the National Republican Committee that no matter which fundraising team got the highest figure of the day in the part of a competition, Lara Trump's pregnant baby could be swept away. The crowd laughed.

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Trump's children were on hand to motivate the volunteers and woo the donors at the highest prices. It paid off. The campaign announced the next day raised $ 24.8 million in less than 24 hours to support Trump's re-election. A Trump advisor estimated that $ 8 to $ 10 million of this race came from the three-hour tuna phone with Don. Jr. helping to close about $ 3 million in donations.

The Ritz event highlighted the tremendous role the Trump family will play in the 2020 campaign, which is to help manage behind-the-scenes operations, promote the policies Trump on television, but also to highlight demonstrations, dinners and gatherings. Although the campaign employs strategists, lawyers, and communication officers, Trump family members remain the most trusted and trusted people in the president's control. The same goes for the White House, where the responsibilities of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner only seem to grow.

"The president obviously has the star power, but the second best for him is his closest relative," said a Republican close to the White House. "The only person who can speak for Trump is an asset."

Although the Trump 2016 campaign also appealed to family members, the current candidate had other trusted advisors, such as Corey Lewandowski, Hope Hicks, Paul Manafort, Steve Bannon, and Kellyanne. Conway. At present, the heavyweights are the family members themselves – but this time they have more resources, organization and infrastructure to strengthen their special status and eliminate the unbridled vibrations of the family. last campaign.

Next week, we will show the extent of the highly visible role of Trump's children in the 2020 campaign. According to invitations obtained by POLITICO, Don Jr. and his girlfriend Guilfoyle should present two fundraisers for Trump Pence Victory on 18 and July 19 in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. Ticket prices for dinner and lunch range from $ 15,000 to $ 35,000 per couple.

On July 19, across the country, Trump himself is called to speak at a fundraiser on his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, according to a third invitation. This ability to raise funds on the same day for events such as Trump and Don Jr. "allows the campaign to run on opposite coasts while generating funds," said a political advisor. "It will also show the dollar value of Don's bet. Jr. on the floor, even in a blue state. "

In addition to Don. Jr. In the lead of events in California, Lara Trump is expected to unveil Tuesday a new coalition called "Women for Trump" in Pennsylvania. The Trump campaign is setting up a number of coalitions this summer to try to show the president's support among women, Latinos and African Americans.

Brad Parscale, the campaign manager who has maintained his power in Trump's orbit, largely through maintaining good relations with children, is leading the 2020 effort. from the campaign, Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of Parscale and Trump, speaks almost every day.

The family also has its favorite ally to the Republican National Committee of Tommy Hicks Jr., co-chair of the committee and longtime friend of Don Jr.

The sprawling political families are not a new invention of the Trump era. The Bush Dynasty produced two presidents and a governor, with the whole family participating in various campaigns. The Clintons put their daughter, Chelsea, on the trunk when Hillary Clinton came to the presidency in 2016, and Romney's big brood, with five sons, often served as a substitute for the election campaign and helped to humanize their father for voters.

Trump's advisers generally consider that the participation of Trump's children is no different from that of other major political families, which goes back to Kennedys or Bush.

"Trump's children are very good substitutes and they love that role," said Ed Rollins, long-time Republican political consultant and chairman of the board of the Great America PAC. "They may not be coming out of non-Trump supporters, but they have certainly been great for the base over the past two years."

While many of the president's advisors appreciate the presence of children, some have hinted at potential problems: mainly that it is impossible to prevent Trump's children from doing what they think best. "No one will tell the children that they can not do anything," said a political advisor. "Sometimes they do it right. Sometimes they can be unguided missiles. The difference between them and the Bushes or Kennedys is that this group is inexperienced. "

As Trump's children adapted to politics, they made important mistakes. In 2016, for example, Kushner and Don. Jr. made an appointment at Trump Tower with Russians who had promised to dirty Trump's political opponent without notifying the US intelligence services – a moment that still interests congressional lawmakers worried about foreign interference in elections US. Allies of Kushner and Don. Jr. did not comment when asked what one or the other of the men had learned from this experience.

The Trump campaign, via a spokesperson, said, "The Trump family members are valuable advisors and an integral part of the campaign. Their contribution and involvement were the key to victory in 2016 and will be again in 2020. "

Behind the scenes, Kushner plays the most important role and has been intimately involved in the high-level political and digital strategy as well as in the coordination between the campaign and the Republican National Committee, said a person familiar with the campaign. Kushner sees himself as the go-between between Trump and the Arlington, Virginia-based campaign, and about once a week or two weeks, Kushner, Parscale and Trump talk on the phone or meet in person at the house Blanche to examine the situation. last machinations 2020.

"Jared is the guy the president sees as a totally honest middleman," said a second Trump political advisor. "He does not want to make money with the campaign or play a role in front of the public. He just wants his stepfather to be re-elected. No one is more at stake than Jared. "

For events and fundraising for the public, Don Jr. is the star of Trump's children. He has no problem calling donor lists to ask for money. He loves to talk to Trump and middle school students and thrives in this new political light, according to political advisers and Republicans close to the campaign.

"He's the one with the name, and he has some weird manners of his father," said a Republican near the White House. "Donors like it, and they think it's intriguing." He and his serious friend, Guilfoyle, a former Fox News personality, have become a draw with a lot of "mind blowing factor," said another Republican close to White. House.

Trump advisers dispute any idea that Don Jr. would have his own political ambitions, given his love for the strain. "He wants to be a voice and a kingmaker in the Conservative movement, but he does not have much interest in running for the presidency himself. He is 100% focused on helping his father's re-election, "said a political adviser close to the family.

Although Ivanka Trump has significantly improved her profile in the White House over the last few weeks, she does not plan to leave the administration to join the campaign and remains focused on empowering international women and developing the workforce. many political advisors and sources close to the campaign. A former senior administration official said that Ivanka did not like the retail campaign "while Don Jr. will go to a Lincoln's party dinner."

Eric Trump acts as a substitute for the campaign when asked – and helps keep an eye on the finances of the campaign. The role of his wife, Lara Trump, is to help appeal to Republican women, attend events and broadcast Trump's message on television. She also interviewed Trump officials and supporters during a live broadcast leading up to the president's re-election rally in Orlando, drawing on her experience as a television producer.

Tiffany Trump should not play any role in the campaign, aside from appearing on the occasion.

For Trump's children, the 2020 campaign offers them another major public platform and an opportunity to bond with their hard-working father. "I consider that children remain relevant. They are no longer on TV every week with the apprentice, so instead of NBC, they are on Fox News or at campaign events and are much more visible, "said a trump advisor.

The president is asking trusted allies to monitor the campaign strategy and its huge sums of money. Trump does not consider them to be major story leaks, and they can push more senior officials like Parscale or RNC more aggressively than the president opposed to the conflict has to do it himself.

"It's a way of connecting with their father, and I think it motivates kids more than developing their brands," said one of the political advisers. "They want to make sure that he understands how important they are to all the workings of his political machine."