(NewsNation) — Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are the key figures in plans for a second Trump term, according to a report.
For months, stories have surfaced about various groups loyal to former President Donald Trump preparing for his return to the White House. Many have talked about how Trump plans to replace thousands of federal civil service employees with people loyal to him.
A handful of outside groups, including The Heritage Foundation, have claimed they’re leading the way in vetting people. But Axios reports that the final say about someone’s ideology and loyalty will lie with Trump’s two eldest sons.
Axios says the goal, according to a person close to Don Jr., “is to keep the John Boltons of the world outside a second Trump administration,” referring to his father’s former national security adviser who wrote a bestselling book lambasting the former president.
News of the Heritage Foundation’s efforts to pre-screen potential applicants broke late last year, but were blunted by two top Trump aides, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita.
They issued a statement in November that said “any personnel lists, policy agendas, or government plans published anywhere are merely suggestions. Policy recommendations from external allies are just that — recommendations.”
Earlier this month, the federal government’s chief human resources agency issued a new rule making it harder to fire thousands of federal employees, hoping to head off Trump’s promises to radically remake the workforce along ideological lines.
The Office of Personnel Management regulations will bar career civil servants from being reclassified as political appointees or as other at-will workers, who are more easily dismissed from their jobs.
The Trump sons’ involvement contrasts with Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, who’ve kept their distance from the 2024 campaign. Last month, People magazine cited people close to Ivanka who say she’s sticking with her decision to stay out of politics this time around.
