Donald Trump Jr says the ‘calling is there’ for him to run for president

President’s eldest son remains a popular figure within MAGA movement and an influential voice in his father’s ear despite playing no direct role in administration

Donald Trump Jr has hinted that he could run for the presidency himself in future, saying “maybe one day” it will happen and acknowledging “that calling is there.”

Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum on Wednesday, Trump Jr, 47, the current executive vice president of the Trump Organization, was asked about the extent of his interest in attempting to succeed his father in the White House by Bloomberg moderator Joumanna Nasr Bercetche.

“Here we go. Well… oh boy,” he chuckled in response as members of the audience applauded, before adding: “It’s an honour to be asked and an honour to see that some people are OK with it.

“So the answer is: I don’t know, maybe one day. You know, that calling is there. I’ll always be very active in terms of being a vocal proponent of these things. I think my father has truly changed the Republican Party.”

Trump Jr has not served directly in either of his father’s administrations but has played a role in weeding out potential hires deemed insufficiently loyal to his cause. While last year, he strongly encouraged his father to pick Ohio Senator and now Vice President JD Vance as his running mate on the Republican ticket last year.

Donald Trump Jr refuses to rule out running for the presidency while speaking at Qatar Economic Forum on Wednesday May 21 2025 (Bloomberg)

The president’s son remains a popular figure within the MAGA movement, a useful online attack dog – going viral earlier for this week for asking whether the news of Joe Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis was “another coverup” by Democrats.

President Trump has also hinted repeatedly that he could run again in 2028, despite the U.S. Constitution expressly prohibiting commander-in-chiefs from serving for more than two terms.

Betting companies are already offering odds on Trump Jr. running, with some offering odds as short as 12/1 but others expanding out to as far as 33/1.

Also at the Bloomberg event in Doha, Trump Jr attempted to allay concerns about his father’s tariff-based trade war, insisting that “change takes time” and laying much of the blame for the policy rattling stock markets around the world at the door of media “hysteria.”

Another Trump ally, Elon Musk, spoke at the same event on Tuesday and revealed that he intends to rein-in his political spending going forward, concluding that he has “done enough” after donating $288m to the Trump campaign in 2024 and instead plans to recommit himself to his electric car brand Tesla.