A growing number of Republican voters support the idea of President Donald Trump’s eldest son succeeding him in the White House, according to a new Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll.
More than one in four respondents said they would vote for Donald Trump Jr. if the 2028 Republican presidential primary were held this month, according to the survey. He garnered 26% of the votes, second-most among potential GOP candidates – and significantly behind the early favorite.
Vice President JD Vance remains the frontrunner to win the GOP’s 2028 nomination – 38% of Republican respondents said they would support Vance if the primary were held today, while 41% of Independents indicated they would vote for him.
Vance and Trump Jr. were the only candidates to reach double-digit support among Republican respondents (978) and Independent respondents (178) in Center Square’s survey.
Trump Jr. lobbied hard for his father to select Vance as his 2024 running mate, a move that helped position the former Ohio senator as a leading candidate for the GOP nomination in 2028.
“I exerted 10,000% of my political capital,” Trump Jr. said of his effort in an interview with Tucker Carlson on the night of the election, per the Associated Press. “I may get a favor from my father in like, 2076. I used it all.”
Trump Jr. received far less support among Independent voters than Vance, according to Center Square’s poll. While 26% of Republicans backed Trump Jr., only 13% of Independent respondents said the same.
Trump Jr., 47, has never held a political office. He has instead operated as a close confidant and advisor through his father’s three presidential campaigns, serving as honorary chair of Trump’s presidential transition team following the 2024 election.
In January, reporters questioned Trump Jr. about his potential political aspirations during an inauguration weekend event.
“Oh, God. No, no, no, don’t get me into trouble,” said Trump Jr., who currently serves as a trustee and executive Vice President of the Trump Organization.
“We have to worry about this,” he added, referring to the start of his father’s second term. “Now, we have to govern. We have to win, we have to fight. We have to get it done, we have to deliver on our promises.”
In May, during a speaking appearance at Bloomberg’s Qatar Economic Forum, Trump Jr. appeared more receptive to the idea of trying to succeed his father as commander in chief.
“I don’t know, maybe one day, you know — that calling is there,” Trump Jr. said “I think my father has truly changed the Republican Party. I think it’s the America First party now, the MAGA party, however you want to look at it.”
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