Donald Trump Jr. takes on new role as top adviser inside the Trump family [View all]

[demmiblue]

(CNN)Former President Donald Trump has elevated his son Donald Trump Jr. to an unofficial new role inside his orbit as he weighs the idea of a comeback presidential bid in 2024 that would require him to maintain a vise grip on the Republican base for any chance of success.

Behind the scenes, Trump's eldest son has emerged as one of the former president's chief political advisers, according to multiple sources who are close to Trump or involved with his political operation. Like his brother-in-law Jared Kushner, who spent much of the last four years attempting to steer the Trump show from inside the West Wing, Trump Jr. has been working closely with his father's team to ensure the next iteration of the 45th President's political career is running smoothly and that his father is endorsing reliably conservative candidates.

But his role extends far beyond operational guidance. In the months since Trump left Washington, Trump Jr. -- who never worked in the White House and is undeniably the most conservative member of the Trump family -- has been steadily influencing his father's political instincts. Aides describe their relationship as notably more affable than Trump's ever was with Kushner, who has taken a break from politics.

Trump Jr.'s impact was on full display earlier this month, when Trump caught himself fuming at a televised interview with Gov. Asa Hutchinson over the Arkansas Republican's stance on transgender issues, one that would have previously escaped his attention. Unlike the days when Trump would camp out in an annex off the Oval Office, griping to aides about critical cable coverage he'd seen of himself or his administration, this time he was incensed by Hutchinson's veto of a Republican-backed bill blocking gender-affirming treatments for transgender youth in his state.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/20/politics/donald-trump-jr-adviser/index.html