DONALD Trump has carved out a political dynasty to rival the Kennedys, with generations of children and grandchildren supporting him in the Oval Office.
The Republican President-elect, 78, is now assigning roles for his nearest and dearest ahead of a second term in office.
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Trump stood flanked by family and friends in front of a wall of stars and stripes on Wednesday – as he declared a sweeping victory in the 2024 election.
A dad-of-five, Trump has relied on his children, wife and even grandkids to bolster public support in previous campaigns with this year being no exception.
Unlike the Kennedys, Clintons or Bushes before him, the President-in-waiting has appeared with family at rallies, conventions and campaign ads.
The Trump camp has blown them out of the water – beating Hilary Clinton and Jeb Bush in 2016, and their choice pick in 2024 – Kamala Harris.
READ MORE ON DONALD TRUMP
Meanwhile, the Kennedys – the closest thing America has had to a Royal Family – trickled down to Robert JFK – who pulled out of the race to officially back Trump himself this year.
He then stormed to political victory with the advice of several key relatives – setting out a new generation of MAGA figureheads.
INSIDE TRUMP’S MAGA DYNASTY
Donald Trump Jr has materialised as a core fixture in the Trump camp in this election – particularly in the absence of his sister Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner.
First brought on board in April 2021 following dear dad’s defeat to Biden, Don has become a vital “go-to person” for keeping core voters on his side.
A book written by journalist Michael Wolff on the previous Trump administration said he regularly pointed out that Don Jr was “in the back of the room when God handed out the brains”.
But fast forward six years and Trump’s eldest child appears to have become a highly-valued part of the team.
One former Trump aide told CNN: “Don has the pulse of the base and knows where the energy of the party is, so he’s sort of the go-to person now on a lot of political things.”
He also selected JD Vance – now the Vice President in waiting on Trump’s ticket.
And Don Jr’s podcast, ‘Triggered’, became an influential tool for recruiting MAGA voters and tuning in with young men – a large part of the 2024 Republican voter base.
American political families replaced by the Trump Dynasty
BY Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
A LOOK at the infamous American political dynasties overtaken by The Trumps…
The Kennedys, arguably America’s most infamous political family, began with the assassinated JFK and his wife Jackie in the 1950s.
Generations of their family have been involved in the political sphere with his nephew, Robert F Kennedy, running for president himself in 2024.
But as he saw Trump’s popularity creeping up, and his own name faltering in the polls, RFK pulled out of the race and officially endorsed Trump.
When Jeb Bush became the last Bush politician to run himself in 2016, he too became history when Trump wiped the floor with opponents in the race.
Another 2016 contestant, Hilary Clinton, was taking a swing at it after standing by her man Bill during his time in the Oval Office.
She too lost to Trump.
One of Trump’s most vocal Republican critics – Liz Cheney – descends from another line of American political royalty.
She was once the third-highest ranking House Republican, but endorsed Harris in 2024 along with her dad former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Meaning her political clout is sure to be out of favour for at least the next four years.
Vietnam war hero and beloved Republican John McCain – who ran for president in 2008 – was a vocal opponent of Trump.
His seat as Senator was challenged by a fervent Trump supporter and he refused to vote for either Clinton or Trump in the 2016 election.
Don’s teenage daughter Kai spoke fondly of her “Grandpa” at the RNC earlier this year and was on stage to support him after his election win this week.
Eric Trump – the youngest of Don’s kids with his first wife Ivana – has also been a prominent presence during his dad’s campaign, appearing at countless rallies.
The pair of them have set the tone for a hardcore MAGA landscape – with Eric shouting: “Fight! Fight! Fight!,” at a rally in October.
Riling up supporters after his dad’s attempted assassination he shouted: “They tried to smear us, they tried to bankrupt us, they came after us, they impeached him twice … then, guys, they tried to kill him.”
Eric has staunchly defended his dad’s political career – and has also carried forward several conspiracy theories touted by Trump himself including those around election rigging in 2020.
On January 6, the day Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building and six people died, Eric spoke at a ‘Save America’ rally with his wife Lara and Don Jr.
He and Don are both likely set for positions inside Trump’s government.
His wife Lara was made co-chair of the Republican National Committee by Trump himself and is another key piece of the close-knit family circle.
She has been one of his most vocal mouthpieces during the campaign – championing women voters to swing for Trump and attending countless rallies.
Donald Trump surrounds himself with ‘undyingly loyal’ family, expert says
BY Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
AMERICAN political scientist Professor Natasha Lindstaedt told The Sun that President-elect Donald Trump likes to surround himself with “undyingly loyal” family members.
She said: “Trump has always used his family members.
“He famously put Jared Kushner, his daughter’s husband, in charge of almost everything you could think of from reforming the entire government peace in the Middle East, solving the opioid crisis.
“He’s tended to lean on his family members, particularly his son, Don Jr and his son Eric. They are some of his surrogates.
“The whole thing of relying on family is this idea that he wants to be surrounded by only those that are undyingly loyal towards him.”
For his 2024 campaign, Professor Lindstaedt says Ivanka is “nowhere to be seen”.
She explained: “Ivanka wasn’t at all part of this campaign; she was nowhere to be seen.
“I don’t even remember seeing much of her at the Republican Convention.
“She sort of disappeared after January 6th because she was so upset about that, and testified something to that effect.
“But Trump likes to surround himself by those that are really loyal to him.”
Trump’s granddaughter Kai spoke about her loving “Grandpa” at the Republican National Convention.
Professor Lindstaedt said: “The Republican Convention happened not that long after the 1st assassination attempt.
“They definitely wanted to portray him in a different way, where they started talking about him as a grandfather and a family man.
“You had speeches like you mentioned from his grandchildren and his children.
“And so that was a bit of an effort to reshape his image.”
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Trump’s second child with wife Ivana is Ivanka Trump – who, along with husband Jared Kushner – had high-ranking advisory roles during his first term in office.
She was a regular fixture during Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns and appeared at rallies, in television ads and on convention stages.
Ivanka first worked as an informal advisor to her dad before she was made an official government employee and given the title of assistant to the president.
Jared worked as a senior White House advisor and was given a wide remit on important government issues including on the Middle East and America’s Opioid Crisis.
Neither of them have any plans to take up official roles in Trump’s second administration – with the pair currently based in Miami with three children.
Trump had his fourth child, Tiffany, with his second wife Marla Maples.
She is less involved than some of her siblings but has appeared at the occasional rally and was thereafter Trump won this week as he made his victory speech.
Tiffany is not expected to take up an official role in the White House next year.
Trump’s youngest child, Barron, is the son he shares with current wife Melania.
Barron became somewhat of a breakout star in the 2024 campaign, surprising the world with his towering height and a new sense of confidence.
Both he and Melania have historically stayed away from some of the more public events and rallies – but both appeared more frequently towards the end of the campaign.
Barron, a student at New York University (NYU), reportedly urged his dad to go on the high-profile podcasts which helped boost his popularity with young voters.
He also apparently pushed the cryptocurrency business Trump announced in September – World Liberty Financial.
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