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President-elect Donald Trump recently opened up about his family members carrying forward his political legacy, in an interview with TIME Magazine. The 78-year-old was also elected TIME's 2024 Person of the Year, after an election campaign that saw him defeat Democrat supremo Kamala Harris to become the 47th President of the United States of America.
In the interview conducted by TIME National Political Correspondent Eric Cortellessa in November, released on December 12, Donald Trump discussed topics like the election campaign, the economy, and his plans for his second presidential term. He also talked about deporting millions of migrants, the future of the MAGA movement, and pardoning the defendants in the January 6 Capital riots.
The President-elect further talked about members of his family who he believes could succeed him in politics. According to Donald, his children Don Jr., Eric, and Ivanka would be his worthy successors. He also mentioned Eric Trump's wife, Lara, as another potential torch-bearer of the political legacy.
When asked about the possibility of a 'Trump dynasty' in the political timeline of the United States of America, the 78-year-old said:
"I think there could be, yeah. I see the people we're talking about."
As per AP News' November 6 report, he defeated Harris by 86 electoral votes in the 2024 United States presidential elections. After the end of the counting, the Republican nominee stood at 312 votes, surpassing the favorable number of 270. Kamala Harris, meanwhile, bagged 226 votes. In all, Trump received 77,269,243 votes (49.9%), while Harris mustered 74,983,555 votes (48.4%).
What did Donald Trump say about the political futures of his family members?
During the interview with TIME, Donald Trump elaborated on the potential of some of his family members to carry on his political legacy. He started with his son with his first wife Ivana, Don Jr. Although the President-elect described Don Jr. as a 'very capable' successor, he recalled him allegedly getting 'treated very badly.'
"My son Don has spent hours and hours in front of, essentially, grand juries and Congress over something he never had anything to do with: Russia. He'd come back and say, 'Dad, I have nothing to do with Russia.' He didn't know anything about Russia, and it would turn out to be a hoax," Trump said.
The 78-year-old revealed that Don Jr. was politically very active, further opining that he would excel 'in certain areas.' He also mentioned Eric, before lavishing praise on his daughter Ivanka.
Describing her as someone who could be a 'superstar in politics,' he opined that she would make a great successor to his political empire. However, Donald explained that Ivanka was a 'family-oriented' person, highlighting the difficulties of maintaining a family while trying to build a political career.
Finally, he talked about his daughter-in-law Lara, while discussing the possibility of a 'dynasty.' The President-elect said:
"Lara has been amazing. Look, she was the head of the Republican Party. She's... a young woman, and she was the head of the Republican Party. And look at the job we did. This cheating would have been breathtaking..., but we got it down to a minimum. They were very effective. The RNC was very, very effective."
Donald Trump talks about his parents during the interview with TIME
Donald Trump also opened up about his parents while talking to TIME's Eric Cortellessa. When asked to speculate what his father would've thought of his political career, he said:
"My father would have been amazed, because my father didn't make speeches... He probably could have done it well, but it wouldn't have been his thing. I don't think it would have been his thing. It's sort of a combination of both the mother and the father. You needed a lot of energy to do that [his rallies]."
The 78-year-old further described his mother as someone with 'great respect for Queen Elizabeth.' He also explained the chemistry between his parents, stating that they were 'sort of an interesting combination,' as his mother was "glamorous" while his father was "hard-nosed."
The President-elect's parents were Fred and Mary Anne MacLeod. His father was a successful real estate developer in New York City, while his mother was born in Scotland and immigrated to the United States at 17. The two got married in 1936 and had Donald ten years later.
