This November 28th, when America counts its blessings, top of my list will be Donald J. Trump, Jr. He is really the guy who made the success of 2024 possible.
If you think back to 2016, the whole Trump effort, it was not just unlikely, it was ridiculous. The campaign consisted mostly of Donald Trump’s stream-of-consciousness Tweets and phone calls to various talks shows. Volunteers from around the country organized their own events for him, because there was no real traditional campaign organization. Some went very well. Others, not so much, like the March 2016 rally at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Smack in the middle of one of America’s premier left-wing neighborhoods, it turned into an ANTIFA-style riot.
Trump’s personnel choices were equally odd. For his campaign communication director, he chose the beautiful, but shy, fashion model Hope Hicks. Hicks refused to do an on-camera interview and communicated with the working press by handing out Xerox copies of her memos.
When he got to the White House, Pres. Trump was immediately handicapped by poor organization and some awful hires. Most Trump people came in one of three flavors -- loyal, but incompetent, like Mike Flynn. The just plain incompetent, like Coats and Sessions. And worst of all, the incompetent and outright perfidious, like Gens. Kelly, Mattis, and McMaster.
Most of that last category seem to be people Ivanka and Jared wanted.
Unsurprisingly, this team of scrubs was no match for the D.C. Swamp. Much of the anger and frustration of Trump and his supporters on Jan 6, 2021, was fueled by the realization of just how badly they were served by people who were supposed to be on their side.
If you are somebody like Rudy Giuliani, tirelessly working with Pres. Trump to save the country, and you see him get him impeached for properly trying to investigate the Biden bribery scandals or have the Deep State run a game to falsely impugn the Hunter Biden laptop or worst of all, see the Deep State’s outrageous Russiagate scandal, which was cooked up by Hillary Clinton's people. Then yes, you may even start to think the voting machines in Georgia could be rigged.
After the disappointing 2022 midterms, most people (including me) gave Donald Trump no chance. DeSantis even passed by him in the betting odds.
Behind the scenes, however, it was Don who started to bring some order to the chaos of Trump world. Until then, he had been the second banana in the family behind Ivanka and Jared. But they were bored with the whole political scene after 2020 and moved on. Especially after Jared got Qatar to bail him out of his high-rise real estate disaster.
Don (and his brother Eric) had spent most of the first Trump term in New York, ably running the Trump business, even as they had to meet a make-or-break deadline to refinance their holdings. Then, it was finally Don’s turn to help assist his father’s political operation and did he ever.
Don began with hiring Susie Wiles to run the national campaign. Wiles got her start with Jack Kemp, then worked for Ronald Reagan all eight years. She has a marvelous record of running campaigns. When she became available after a falling out with Ron DeSantis, she was welcomed into the 2020 campaign, and then tabbed to run the whole 2024 effort. This was a great move. She has a whole ecosystem of competent people around her, and she got Trump organized and focused on the issues.
The unprecedented lawfare attack by the Biden administration in 2023 was met calmly and became a rallying point for people who had seen enough of the Democrats’ dirty tricks.
Don was also the talent scout, bringing in fresh new faces who could make a difference. He was the one who got Ronna McDaniel ousted from the RNC and brought in Charlie Kirk to implement more modern election tactics. Whereas in 2020, President Trump decried early voting; in 2024, Don was convinced those were now the rules and we had to outdo the Democrats.
It was Don who befriended JD Vance, seeing he was budding star, and had his father endorse him in a crowded Senate primary. Don also lobbied for him as VP pick, which proved an inspired choice, as he connected with younger voters.
When it is all said and done, it will also probably be revealed Don was the one reaching out to Elon Musk years ago, when he turned against Biden and decided to save free speech on social media. This at a time when Donald Trump, Sr. was holding his infamous Dinner With the Schmucks.
Remember, it was Jared and Ivanka who kept attaching President Trump to ridiculous celebrities like Kanye West and the Kardashians. While it was Don who built a network of serious people to help the country, like Peter Theil.
The first days of the Trump transition are now going like the last days of the Trump campaign -- focused, efficient, and smooth. I suspect that’s in large measure due again to Don and he is likely the one recommending all the solid cabinet picks.
Thanks to Donald J. Trump, Jr., I think Trump 47 is going to be a far more successful experience than Trump 45.
Frank Friday is an attorney in Louisville, KY.
Image: Gage Skidmore
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