Donald Trump Jr. — son of Donald Trump — has made prominent but controversial picks and a strategy of recommending personnel based on their loyalties and views.
President-elect Donald Trump is known for valuing the opinions of family members on political issues, especially his eldest son Donald Trump Jr.
According to sources close to the matter, in nominating and building his father's cabinet this year, Donald Trump Jr. as an advisor played an important role, from supporting Senator JD Vance to preventing former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from joining the new cabinet.
“This time we really know what we’re doing,” Donald Trump Jr. told Fox News. “And it’s a matter of surrounding my father with people who are both competent and loyal.”
In addition to securing candidates loyal to his father, Donald Trump Jr. has often sought candidates who share President-elect Trump's views on protectionist economic policies and reduced military intervention and foreign aid.
However, it seems that many candidates supported by Donald Trump Jr. and nominated by President Trump are not easily confirmed by the US Senate due to "scandals" and controversies. Notable among them are Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Tulsi Gabbard, who is expected to take on the role of Director of National Intelligence.
According to some comments, not all of Donald Trump Jr.'s proposals were approved by his father, and many of Trump's final decisions were completely different from his son's suggestions.
Typically, Donald Trump Jr. once recommended his close friend Ric Grenell, former US Ambassador to Germany, as Secretary of State, but Mr. Trump decided to choose Senator Marco Rubio for this position.
On November 24, Reuters reported that several sources close to Donald Trump Jr. said he was not involved in any personnel decisions and was not working full-time during the transition of power.
One of the other sources also revealed that he was not expected to play a major role in screening candidates for lower-level positions.
A source close to the transition said President-elect Trump appears to need less family advice than he did in the past thanks to aides like Susie Wiles, who helped run his most organized campaign to date.
Mr Trump has appointed Ms Wiles as White House chief of staff, a powerful position in Washington. “It’s really all set up,” the source said of Mr Trump’s current team. “He may not need his family as much this time.”
