How have Donald Trump's children been involved in the Trump Organization and political campaigns?
Executive summary
Donald Trump’s children have been integral both to the Trump Organization’s management and to multiple presidential campaigns: Donald Jr. and Eric have served as executive operators at the company and as campaign surrogates, Ivanka moved from the family business into a senior White House advisory role and high-profile campaign surrogate before stepping back, and other family members and spouses have acted as visible campaign surrogates and informal advisers [1] [2] [3] [4]. Their overlapping business and political roles repeatedly drew scrutiny for blurred lines and legal challenges, including civil actions alleging improper coordination between family-run entities, the Trump Foundation, and campaign activities [3] [5] [6].
1. Origins and formal positions inside the Trump Organization
Long before presidential runs, Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka held management roles in the family’s company: Don Jr. and Eric rose to executive vice president positions and ran day-to-day operations especially when their father pursued politics, and Ivanka also worked in real estate and retail ventures tied to the Trump brand [1] [2] [7]. Contemporary profiles and company descriptions show the eldest children were the visible heirs apparent in the business and were reported to have taken over more operational responsibility when their father entered the White House, a transfer that internal and external observers said concentrated power in family hands [4] [3].
2. Campaign surrogates, transition players and the blurring of lines
During the 2016 and subsequent campaigns the same children served as public surrogates and were named to transition or advisory teams, a configuration that journalists and ethics observers warned could mix business interests with public duty: Don Jr., Ivanka and Eric were all on the transition executive committee and campaigned visibly at rallies, sometimes presenting a seamless family brand between the company and the campaign [3] [8]. Reporting documents that the children “clocked up thousands of air miles” campaigning and that the family’s inner circle — including Kushner and spouses — helped shape digital and surrogate strategy, underscoring how familial roles extended beyond private business into strategic campaign functions [8] [3].
3. Ivanka’s arc: corporate figure, White House adviser, and later retreat
Ivanka’s trajectory moved from brand-builder and Trump Organization executive to senior White House adviser and central campaign presence in 2016 and 2020, after which she publicly signaled withdrawal from politics in 2022 and was noted as less involved in later cycles; sources record both her onstage visibility during campaigns and her subsequent distancing amid legal and political pressures [7] [4] [9]. Alternative viewpoints exist within coverage: supporters framed her role as policy-focused economic advising, while critics and some legal filings treated her presence in family corporate structures and campaign events as part of the conflicts at issue in state investigations [7] [5].
4. Donald Jr. and Eric: operational control and legal exposure
Donald Jr. and Eric not only campaigned extensively but also ran the organization during Trump’s presidency, a management duality that has been central to New York probes and civil litigation alleging fraud and other business improprieties; both have been deposed and named in investigations into the company’s practices [10] [1] [9]. Coverage highlights that Don Jr. was a prominent political provocateur and surrogate across multiple election cycles and that Eric shared executive responsibilities that made them focal points for regulators searching for business-campaign linkages [2] [10].
5. Extended family, media influence, and the next generation
Beyond the three eldest, other family members and in-laws played campaign roles: spouses like Lara Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle functioned as co-chairs, surrogates and media personalities on behalf of campaigns, and newer reporting even credits the youngest son, Barron, with informal media-advising duties in later cycles, illustrating a widening family apparatus that mixes entertainment, influencer outreach and political operation [8] [11]. Observers note this network’s strategic value for outreach and fundraising while critics emphasize how the entanglement of private family business, campaign events and charitable entities invited legal scrutiny and allegations of improper coordination [8] [5].