Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of former President Donald Trump, emerges as the favored choice to carry on his father’s political legacy, according to recent polling data from the Daily Mail and JL Partners. The survey reveals that 26 percent of registered voters selected Don Jr. as the Trump child they would most like to see as a political successor.
Trailing behind Don Jr., who is now 48, is Barron Trump, just 20 years old, capturing the preference of 13 percent of those surveyed. Ivanka Trump, aged 44, came in third with the support of 6 percent, followed by Eric Trump, 42, with 5 percent, and Tiffany Trump, 32, who garnered a mere 2 percent.
The results underscore Don Jr.’s enduring appeal as the most politically viable among Trump’s offspring, despite a substantial portion of the electorate expressing opposition to the Trump family establishing itself as a political dynasty.
This poll echoes sentiments from a similar survey conducted shortly after the 2024 election, which asked voters to predict which of Trump’s children might pursue a presidential bid. Don Jr. again led the pack, with 29 percent anticipating his candidacy. Barron was the runner-up with 17 percent, while Eric was expected by 12 percent, Ivanka by 8 percent, and Tiffany by just 3 percent.
The Daily Mail and JL Partners had posed a similar question in the aftermath of the 2024 election, when voters were asked which of Trump’s children they thought would run for president.
Don Jr topped that survey, too, with 29 percent expecting him to run. Barron followed with 17 percent, while 12 percent guessed Eric, 8 percent chose Ivanka and 3 percent named Tiffany.
Voters also believed that Don Jr has given the most assistance to his father in winning the 2024 race. In the November/December 2024 survey, 27 percent said he had helped most, compared with 12 percent who chose Barron, 9 percent picking Ivanka, 6 percent who said Eric and just 3 percent citing Tiffany.
The new poll results come after Don Jr made headlines over the Memorial Day weekend by marrying Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas. President Trump missed the wedding as an Iran war deal neared completion.
College student Barron Trump (left) came in second place after Donald Trump Jr when registered voters were asked to choose which child of President Donald Trump they would like to see carry on the Republican’s political legacy
Anderson is Don Jr’s second wife. He was previously married to Vanessa Trump, who is in a relationship with Tiger Woods and recently announced she is being treated for breast cancer.
He was also engaged to Kimberly Guilfoyle, now 57, the ex-wife of Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, and who is serving as the US ambassador to Greece.
Republicans were the most keen to see Don Jr turn his father’s political ambitions into a dynasty – 41 percent of those surveyed selected him as their preferred Trump successor.
Democrats, by contrast, were far more likely to reject the idea of another Trump entering the upper echelons of the political arena.
A majority of Democrats, 55 percent, answered that they would like to see ‘none’ of the President’s children carry forward the political legacy.
Forty-one percent of female voters were also more likely to say they were done with the Trumps, with 46 percent of seniors in agreement.
And, overall, 36 percent of voters want Trump to choose a successor outside of his immediate family.
The President has played Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio – both anticipated to stage 2028 bids – against each other in recent weeks.
The President has played Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio – both anticipated to stage 2028 bids – against each other in recent weeks
Rubio filled in for Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during a White House press conference early this month while the President’s spokeswoman is on maternity leave
Vice President JD Vance takes questions from the press in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington on May 19
He regularly asks supporters whether they support Vance or Rubio, and often conducts a straw poll during gatherings.
Both men even filled in behind the White House podium while Karoline Leavitt is on maternity leave as a sort of ‘test’ for Trump to judge their media briefing skills.
According to the same Daily Mail/JL Partners poll, Republican primary voters say they prefer Vance (at 47 percent) compared to Rubio (at 18 percent). Notably, Rubio gained 4 points in the past month.
In a head-to-head of Vance v Rubio, the Vice President would win by 58 percent to 30 percent, according to likely GOP primary voters.
Meanwhile, women were also not more likely to choose Trump’s daughters, Ivanka or Tiffany, as Trump’s heir.
Overall, 20 percent of female voters selected the top vote-getter, Don Jr, followed by 12 percent who said Barron, 7 percent who chose Ivanka, 5 percent who named Eric and just 1 percent selecting Tiffany.
Only one of Trump’s children has formally served at the White House. Ivanka worked as a senior adviser in her father’s first administration, alongside her husband Jared Kushner.
Don Jr has never held a formal White House role but has been a prominent surrogate for his father on the campaign trail, speaking at rallies and becoming one of the MAGA movement’s most recognizable voices.
Lara Trump (left) and husband Eric accompanied the President on his recent trip to China. Lara has come closest of all the Trumps to running for office, mulling US Senate bids in both Florida, where she lives, and North Carolina, where she grew up
Ivanka Trump, dressed to attend the state dinner with King Charles last month, is the only child of President Donald Trump to officially hold a role in the White House. She and her husband Jared Kushner served as advisers during his first administration but now live in Miami
Tiffany Trump (right), photographed on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews alongside husband Michael Boulos, is the President’s only child with second wife Marla Maples. She has given political speeches on his behalf since the 2016 Republican National Convention
Eric Trump, the President’s middle son, has also made campaign appearances, but has largely remained the face of the family business. Most recently, he has handled the Trump presidential library project, which is expected to be a high-rise building in downtown Miami.
Barron Trump attended his first rally in July 2024 at his father’s Doral golf course, four days before the President survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump has credited his youngest child with encouraging him to court popular podcasters, a strategy that bumped up his support among young male voters during the last campaign.
Tiffany Trump, the President’s only child with second wife Marla Maples, made her political debut speaking at the 2016 Republican National Convention, and made speeches in support of her father during the 2020 and 2024 election cycles as well.
But the Trump family member who has come closest to running for elected office was daughter-in-law Lara, Eric’s wife.
Lara, who co-chaired the Republican National Committee in 2024, was floated as a replacement for Florida Senator Marco Rubio after he was selected to be Secretary of State. She also mulled running for Senate in her home state of North Carolina, especially after Republican Senator Thom Tillis announced his retirement.
In both cases, she ultimately opted out.
