Trump’s Eldest Children Split on His Path Forward

By Staff, Agencies

At a pivotal moment in defining his legacy as US President, Donald Trump is receiving conflicting advice from his closest and most trusted advisers, his eldest children, as he strategizes his next move in the wake of his election loss.

While his adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, are gung-ho, leading his charge to stay in the fight, daughter and White House adviser Ivanka Trump emerged as someone looking for a way for the President to save face as he considers his next steps, CNN cited sources as saying.

Differing approaches have emerged amongst the Trump siblings: Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are telling their father to aggressively fight to the end, echoing baseless claims that the election has been rigged and the outcome should change.

Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, are weighing a different political calculus.

Ivanka Trump and Kushner would prefer the President concede the race as soon as next week after the Georgia recount has concluded on November 20, whereas Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. would prefer to drag it out until the bitter end.

The couple doesn't believe legal battles will change the election's outcome, but are nevertheless advocating for a more measured approach to let the legal fight and recounts continue to ensure future election integrity while allowing them to appear sensitive to Trump, a source familiar with the situation said.

Ivanka Trump has offered a more calibrated message to her father, asking him whether it was worth damaging his legacy and potentially his businesses to continue his refusal to concede. She is privately realistic about the President's loss, a source told CNN, but she also knows that her entire future - now more than ever - is tied to her father's, and must be handled delicately.

Relatively, a White House spokesperson declined to comment to CNN on the matter. A spokesperson for Donald Trump Jr. also declined to comment.

"He knows he's not going to win, but he also knows he holds all the cards right now because he knows that he won 72 million votes and founded a movement," a source familiar with Trump's thinking said.

The source said Trump believes he was never considered a legitimate candidate or President.

"He was investigated and impeached and people tried to destroy him and his family, so why should he rush to concede anything now when Georgia and Arizona still haven't been called, and some people are telling him that they have some legitimate legal recourse in Pennsylvania?" the source added.

When he does finally come to terms with his loss, Trump is being urged to characterize this election as the "last final act of harassment," but that he will take his supporters and his social media following and make clear he isn't going anywhere.

The eldest Trump sons, top surrogates during the 2020 campaign and conservative firebrands themselves, have taken to social media to amplify their message.