Kathrine Frich
Most people predicted Donald Trump jr. or Barron as Trump’s successor.
When a powerful family suffers a sudden setback, the search for a new leader begins almost overnight.
In American politics, keeping a famous name alive requires fresh energy.
Right now, insiders are looking toward a very unexpected heir.
A fresh start
After heavy midterm election defeats handed both chambers of Congress to the Democrats, the Irish Star reports that President Donald Trump faces a tough final two years in office. With the MAGA movement looking beyond his presidency, political analysts told The Irish Star 20-year-old Barron Trump might be the family’s only “beacon of hope” for the future.
Adrienne Uthe, who founded the public relations firm Kronus Communications, pointed directly to the youngest son when speaking to The Irish star.
“The successor, though? Honestly, from the energy I’m seeing in pop culture, I think it’s Barron,” Uthe told the outlet.
Even though the 20-year-old mostly avoids the cameras, the Irish Star noted that he played a key role in helping his father win the 2024 race. Still, he has never run for office and is legally too young to enter the 2028 presidential contest.
“If anybody’s gonna carry the baton forward and actually do it in a good way, it’s him. Hopefully. He might be the one who redeems the whole family,” Uthe added, according to The Irish star.
Too soon to tell
Not everyone buys the hype. According to the Irish Star and The US Sun, political communications strategist Mike Fahey, who worked on four 2026 midterm campaigns, warned against pinning the family’s survival on a college-aged kid.
“He’s young, recognizable, and hasn’t accumulated the political baggage carried by his older siblings,” Fahey told The US Sun. “But I think it’s premature to turn someone who’s barely begun his adult life into the future of the Republican Party.”
Instead, Fahey told the outlet that 48-year-old Donald Trump Jr. is the logical choice to carry the torch.
“Don Jr. speaks MAGA fluently. He understands the audience, knows the players, and has cultivated his own following,” Fahey said, as quoted by The Irish Star. “But does he have the crossover appeal needed to win a national election? That’s where I have serious doubts.”
Meanwhile, another surprising name is floating around Washington. According to the Irish Star, presidential historian and commentator Craig Shirley argued that First Lady Melania Trump is actually the “only star this administration has, and they need all the help they can get right now.”
