At the Republican convention in Milwaukee in July, a young woman steps onto the stage. Her brown hair falls over her shoulders. Despite it being her first public appearance, she looks confident and smiles as she speaks:
For me, he's just a regular grandfather. He gives us candy and soda when our parents aren't looking.
He calls me in the middle of the school day to ask how my golf game is going and to tell me all about his. But then I have to remind him that I'm in school and that I'll call him back later.
The young woman is Kai Madison Trump, and the man she's talking about is her grandfather, Donald Trump. Observers interpret her appearance as a significant point in a growing engagement in the family's politics.
"Trump Dynasty"
Kai Madison Trump is the daughter of Donald Trump Jr, the former president's eldest son, who is also one of the former head of state's most devoted supporters. Along with his younger brother Eric, Donald Jr plays a crucial role in his father's presidential campaign and in building a "Trump Dynasty". According to Thomas Gift, head of the Center for Politics in the USA at University College London, that's exactly what Trump wants.
If there's one thing Trump loves more than himself, it's the idea of a Trump Dynasty, he says to Newsweek.
Trump's eldest sons are also making a clear mark within the Republicans. Not least when it comes to the choice of vice presidential candidate.
I think it's a phenomenal choice. I think it's exactly the right choice, said Donald Trump Jr just minutes after his father announced JD Vance as his running mate.
Trump Jr had been pushing for months to get Vance elected as vice presidential candidate. Vance was indeed a fierce opponent to Trump a few years ago, but has since switched sides and become a spokesperson for Trump's message: Make America Great Again (Maga).
A Step to the Right
In 2016, the vice presidential candidate was Mike Pence. A low-key person without drama, who would never take the spotlight from Trump. Back then, Trump listened mainly to his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, who both worked as advisors in the White House and, until Trump's first term, were registered Democrats before switching parties.
Since Trump lost to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, the more liberal Trump-Kushner couple has stepped aside, making way for Ivanka's brothers Donald Jr and Eric.
With JD Vance by his side, rather than a more traditional Republican, observers believe Trump will shift into an even higher gear in his "Maga" line – and move the Republicans further to the right.
Tightening His Grip on the Party
Mark Esper, Trump's third defense minister, said in an interview with The Washington Post in 2022 that if there is a second term in the White House, Trump and his aides will really make sure that the most loyal take their place beside him.
They'll take in someone who will do what he (Trump) wants, said Esper.
Esper's analysis seems to hold true. In March this year, Lara Trump, wife of presidential candidate Eric, was elected vice chairman of the Republicans. According to American media, it was a sign that the former president had further tightened his grip on the party.
And Donald Trump Jr's fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle, formerly a news anchor on the conservative news channel Fox News, has been working since 2018 for a Trump-loyal super-PAC – a political organization that collects money for the campaign.
The World's Most Famous
The main character himself, Donald Trump, is the real estate magnate, entrepreneur, and politician who has persistently claimed to have "made himself".
When The New York Times dug deeper into the matter in 2018, they discovered that this was not the case. Instead, Trump inherited approximately four billion kronor from his father, largely money that had been withheld from tax authorities in the 1990s, according to the newspaper.
Donald Trump has created countless headlines over the years. And it's no wonder, since 99 percent of the world's population knows who he is. This makes him the world's most famous person, according to a new survey by Yougov.
The multimillionaire was already a well-known face before he took office. When the announcement finally came, he had hinted for over 20 years that he wanted to take a seat in the Oval Office:
I'm officially running for the post of President of the United States, and we're going to make our country great again, Trump said in a 45-minute speech on June 16, 2015.
Deeply Rooted Culture
The campaign quickly gained momentum. Trump's rhetoric appealed to a new group of people for the Republicans, with statements against the establishment, media, and harsh attacks on political opponents.
If Trump wins the election this fall, it will be his second – and final – term in the White House. But he has built an army of future Republicans who can take over his legacy.
The Maga culture has rooted itself deeply in the Republican soul, and the main character himself is seen by some as not just a god, but god-sent. Not least among evangelical Christians – a voter group Trump has strongly targeted, among other things by portraying his supposed opponent, Kamala Harris, as a "child murderer" because she advocates for a more liberal abortion law.
Regardless of how it goes for Trump in the election, the political playing field has changed since he entered politics as the first non-politician to become President of the United States.
Donald Trump, 78 years old, was the 45th President of the United States between 2017 and 2021. The outspoken Republican won the presidential election in 2016 with the promise to "make America great again", but failed to be re-elected in 2020.
Was the first president in the United States without prior experience as an elected politician or military officer. Instead, he has dedicated his life to business.
Born in Queens, New York, he has an economics degree with a focus on real estate from the University of Pennsylvania. Inherited real estate from his father and built an empire with a focus on, among other things, hotels and golf courses.
Father of five children and married for the third time. His current wife is Slovenian-American Melania Trump.
His children are Donald Jr, Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany, and Barron.
