Trump prepares the future – and revenge – from sunny Florida ties

“Once 2022 shifts into high gear, expect Don (Trump Jr.) to be an extremely active presence on the election campaign,” a person who works with Trump Jr. told CNN, not only confirming young Trump’s taste for political battle, but also that of the former president.

Donald Trump’s influence on the elections is becoming clearer by the day. Last Tuesday, former Sen. David Perdue announced he would not be launching a campaign, although he recently filed papers to do so. The move follows Perdue’s recent visit to Palm Beach, where he played golf with Trump, a person familiar with the Georgia Republican’s agenda said.

“We’ve been seeing this for years now – offers of encouragement from Trump that look more like Mafia threats from the ‘nice little business that you have here,'” says Doug Heye, longtime Republican strategist and consultant who previously held senior positions in communications for leadership on Capitol Hill. “The problem for these candidates in the future is that despite always scrambling to score points, Donald Trump does not give points, he only takes them away. One at a time.”

Changing family dynamics

By 2019, it was clear Trump Jr. was the Republican hype that the grassroots couldn’t live without. Trump Jr. was not only in high demand for appearances and events, but he was also filling rooms, spewing conspiracy theories on social media, coasting with his attacks on Democrats, so-called RINOs (Republicans in name only) and anyone who didn’t. agree with Trump’s theories and policies – true or not.

Ivanka Trump, now living in an expensive Miami beachfront condominium with a nearby new mansion set to build on $ 30 million land bought late last year, doesn’t want “Nothing to do with politics,” a friend of hers said of her current state of mind. .

Instead, she “settles down her family, and that’s her only goal,” the friend said.

Trump has been to Mar-a-Lago to visit his father since moving to Florida, another person familiar with his whereabouts says, but his interest in discussing his father’s upcoming White House stint sucks. Trump’s five years in the campaign and in the White House “have been a lot,” her friend told CNN, and talking about a political future is verboten. Paparazzi have captured photos of Trump in recent weeks, mostly lounging on the beach next to his new home. One day, she was seen reading “The Book of Joy” by the Dalai Lama.

But the lack of interest in political engagement, if understandable, paves the way for his brother to shine even stronger in his father’s orbit – even though he’s not the favorite child. (In a 2019 interview, Trump said of his oldest son, “Don is, uh, he likes politics; actually, that’s great.”)

Trump Jr. and his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, have served as very effective surrogates for his father for almost three years, roughly as long as the couple are in a relationship, and they show no signs of slowing down. Next week, the pair will host a high-value fundraiser in Mar-a-Lago for Republican Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem, a person familiar with the event told CNN.

Noem is due for re-election in 2022, and the $ 1,000 per person event will technically be Trump and Guilfoyle’s first official foray into the electoral cycle. The VIP experience of the party, according to the familiar, includes participation in a panel discussion with Noem, Trump and Guilfoyle, as well as a photo – the price of the enhanced face time is $ 4,000 per person. It’s unclear if the former president will make an appearance, but Noem is a friend – she once gifted the then president a 4-foot, $ 1,100 replica of Miount Rushmore with his face included, according to a report from the New York Times.

Sunshine State Headquarters

Like his sister Ivanka Trump and his half-sister Tiffany Trump, who also recently moved to Miami, Trump Jr. intends to make the Sunshine State his permanent home. Two people familiar with the situation have said he intends to be closer to his ex-wife, Vanessa Trump, and the couple’s five children.

Vanessa Trump spends much of the year in Jupiter, Florida, where her ex-husband ogles an $ 11 million waterfront mansion in the city’s exclusive Admiral’s Cove development. A person familiar with Trump Jr.’s businesses would not confirm the purchase of the house, which real estate records show is under contract pending sale, and a representative of the real estate company responsible for the sale would not make a confirmation. comment to CNN on speculation Trump is the buyer.

But the commitment to Florida – a Trump-friendly state the former president won last November – indicates that the Trumps are not tied to New York as a hub. Also, it’s much nicer for Trump to welcome his visitors to Mar-a-Lago, which has an integrated audience of members, many of whom are also sycophants.

A person familiar with Trump’s activities in Mar-a-Lago says he increasingly acts as the club’s CEO, involved in operations, renovations and membership. For a while, his Palm Beach neighbors expressed disdain that Trump would only live a few blocks from their multi-million dollar mansions – a disruption they no longer wanted to endure after the past four years of challenges. in terms of security and confidentiality.

“I really don’t think most Palm Beachers even think about Trump any more. He really never leaves his two clubs,” said Laurence Leamer, a part-time Palm Beach resident and author of Two Reports on the Area. “Madness Under the Royal Palms” and “Mar-a-Lago: Inside the Gates of Power at Donald Trump’s Presidential Palace”.

Trump is habitual, which makes it all the easier for those who want to find him, ask for his blessing or beg forgiveness for turning his back on him, a practice according to Heye will only increase in the months to come.

“For many, loyalty never ends. But part of Trump’s bet when his campaign got serious was that the party would bow to him, he wouldn’t bow to the party. He was right,” he said. he says.