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Here's What To Know About Whether Trump Jr. Can Run For President

by Chelsea Stewart
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At this point, it probably seems very feasible that Donald Trump Jr. could follow in his father's footsteps. He tweets like his old man, is seemingly just as involved in campaign events, and knows how to command an audience in similar ways. But can Donald Trump Jr. actually run for president? Let's talk about whether he stands a chance.

Trump Jr. fulfills the only three legal requirements of running for president, which are being over age 35 (he's 41), being a native-born U.S. citizen, and having lived in the country for 14 years. The biggest "disqualifying" factor seems to be the fact that Trump Jr. is the son of a president, but that means nothing, as evidenced by George W. Bush, who claimed the White House following his father's tenure. Of course, Bush had government experience before claiming the presidency and Trump Jr. does not, but we all know that norm went out the window when business mogul Donald Trump won the White House in 2016. So, if you guessed "yes," you're right: It seems like Trump Jr. is in the clear to run for the White House.

It just boils down to whether Trump Jr. wants to run for president — and he has suggested that he could. While appearing on Bloomberg's Sound On podcast back in March, Trump Jr. seemed open to pursuing the White House in the years to come. According to The Daily Beast, he said:

I never want to rule it out. I definitely enjoy the fight. I definitely like being out there and I love being able to see the impact and the difference that it makes on these people’s lives that I get to see all over the country.
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For now, Trump Jr. seems to be enjoying his life as it is, but don't rule out a White House bid later down the line. “My father decided to get into politics at 68. I’m 41, I’ve got plenty of time.” Trump Jr. continued. But Trump Jr., who currently runs the Trump Organization with his brother, Eric, didn't say which office.

Elite Daily previously reached out to the Trump Organization for further comment on whether Trump Jr. intends to run for office and which position he might pursue, but did not hear back.

He's not the only Trump child that has reportedly toyed with the idea of a presidential run, either. Journalist Vicky Ward wrote in her 2019 book Kushner, Inc. that Ivanka Trump is interested in running, and tends to fight with her older brother over who will replace their father. According to Ward, the president's former economic adviser Gary Cohn once said of Ivanka, “She thinks she's going to be president of the United States. She thinks this is like the Kennedys, the Bushes, and now the Trumps."

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“It's not exactly a secret in the White House that Ivanka has a hissy fit whenever Donald Trump Jr. gets positive press,” Ward told Newsweek in March 2019. “She gets especially irked over articles speculating about his political future. Potential fratricide?” In a statement at the time, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the book "based on shady anonymous sources and false information."

Maybe there's some truth to this, or maybe it's all baloney. If it happens to be the former, I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that those campaigns will be a sight to see.