Donald Trump Jr. Emerges as the G.O.P. ‘Relief Pitcher’ of 2018

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree...and is just as rotten. Trump Jr. is obviously immature, transparently inexperienced and comes across like a smiling, bumbling fool. Given his wealth and the doors that have been opened to him, Trump Jr. is, surprisingly, a young man of absolutely no accomplishment. People from the NYC real estate world have been shocked for years by his professional incompetence. ( He and his brother Eric hate each other).He acts like a know-it-all who knows nothing...a vapid speaker running around with his fawning, oversexed showgirl girlfriend who is as repugnant and shallow as he is. A perfect candidate-in-training for the GOP.

Is Maggie Haberman trying to ingratiate herself with the Trumps by writing this puff piece. Don Jr has NEVER done anything on his own. He is a totally out of touch, oligarch wannabe.

The entire Trump family has figured out that you can steal more money in politics than you can building fake buildings, casinos and "universities."

I would vote for him in a heart beat. Bring it on Junior. We want another Trump in office, does not matter which one!!!!

So not surprising considering they also back Sarah Palin...

Please, not anther Trump holding political office. My blood pressure will go through the roof. And, God help our country.

Sadly the only winners here are people with Trump as the last name and the richest 1% of the population. If the people Trump Jr. is talking to in PA who will lose their pre-existing conditions policies or will see their Medicare and Social Security payments begin to evaporate if the Republicans have their way think this is "winning" then they must believe in the Tooth Fairy and the Wicket Witch of the West. The polls have been open for an hour or so as I write this. I will be glued to my TV tonight. Then we will see if the country wins. The Republicans must be stopped.

Donny Junior seems almost as crazed as his father. Is there one Trump in that family that cares about someone or something greater than themselves. Their lives tell us there isn't. This family is completely incapable of that. Sad. DD Manhattan

He can deceive, he can misinform, he can out right prevaricate, why he's just a chip off the old man's shoulder...in all the most unflattering ways.

Well, as Trump has said, he may lose a few because “he can’t be everywhere”. I’m sure those who get Trump Jr as stand-in feel they are sooo very important to Trump Sr, eh? Anyhow, maybe Trump Jr can bring a few extra folks out to cheer his karaoke performance?

Donald Trump, Jr. is to leadership what Frank Sinatra, Jr. was to singing.

The bizarre nature of how the Trumps "think" or approach facts is on display in Junior's joke about his father "lying" when he said they would get sick of winning. Instead of saying his father misspoke or underestimated their success or was overstating for effect, he calls his father's statement a lie. If I say it will be sunny tomorrow and it rains, I haven't lied, I was wrong. That's not the same thing. They don't understand the difference between lying and misstating or having to correct yourself when something you've said turns out not to be true. The latter requires you to admit you are fallible, to acknowledge that you don't know it all. And Trump, as we know, is never wrong or mistaken. He never apologizes. That could be part of why they are so un disturbed by their loose relationship with the truth. If you are never wrong, how can you tell what the truth is? The only way is to treat every word papa says the way papa does: as chapter and verse truth. No matter if he contradicts himself two hours later. Different context, but it's all true because he said it. That's what keeps Trump's supporters happy: they have adopted Trumpian logic. He never really lies because everything he says is true, even when he contradicts himself. I have a headache now.

Trump and Trump Junior need a bit of a history lesson Czechoslovakia was not Democratic Socialist What was practiced in the former Czechoslovakia was Communism not Socialism. Communism and the Russian government’s practice of draining all Czechoslovakia’s resources led to a brutal repressive life for my people - there was nothing to eat, no free speech, and neighbors informed on neighbors. All and all, Trump Trump Junior, it would be good to learn your history. Perhaps, then you would not support a brutal former KGB operative like Putin who promoted the former Communist system.

Sounds like he’s preaching to the choir. It would be hard to run for office with a felony conviction, but good luck Donnie Jr.

Ugh. Trumps, please go away. Please stop giving these people free advertising.

Meanwhile, there are 5 little kids at home asking "Why doesn't Daddy come see us anymore? What did we do to make him mad at us? Who is that lady with him on TV?" Donald Jr. is America's Embarrassment.

Special attention from the media given to Daddy (to the detriment of other candidates) contributed to the Trump win in 2016. Why are you replaying it already for another Trump down the line? Please let these corrupt morons fizzle out on their own stupidity. The only news I want to hear about this horrid, self-serving family is their legal troubles as they relate to the nation.

It’s like a D-list Oligarchy — Fox News, Trump Org, various Russian Mid East Oil Gangsters When will the winning end? Tomorrow probably

Let's see him campaign from federal prison.

I find it difficult to comprehend that this article can be written without mentioning that as Assistant Carnival Barker, Donald Trump Jr is about to be indicted for conspiring with a foreign power to influence a US election. Nowhere does it mention his attempt to illicitly gain dirt on Hillary Clinton. Nowhere does it mention the impending case against the Trump 'charity'. Neither does it mention the recording of the phone call between Trump Jnr and Alexander Torshin (known to Putin as the Godfather), given by Spanish prosecutors to the FBI, which was described as very concerning for Trump Jnr. Torshin was the handler of Maria Butina, currently in prison awaiting trial on charges of espionage. Donald Trump jnr is a career criminal and a traitor to the USA, just like his father. It would behove the NYT to report on this.

You know we’re in trouble his Dad is in the White House and Junior is campaigning.........unreal.

At least he's taking a break from killing endangered species.

Jr. is decidedly not the "relief pitcher". This privileged, inept grifter is not even the "bat boy", a real job that this hanger-on couldn't even handle. Just check out the dismal record of his business acumen. The Mueller Investigation may itself have some "high and tight fastballs" coming his way very soon, and they will not be mere brush backs!

Trump Jr. a "relief pitcher"? A suppository offers relief as well but it's something I don't want to have anything to do with. Here's hoping he does a perp walk in and out of 500 Pearl Street.

Somehow the Chicago Black Sox came to mind when reading the title of this article.

Maybe Donnie Jr. knows when Mexico is going to send the check for the WALL. You remember the promise"Who's going to pay for the WALL ,and the chant MEXICO. Oh those were the days.

Donald Trump Jr. agreed to meet with Russian intelligence to get dirt on his father’s political opponent. He claims this is fine and absolutely not illegal because the meeting didn’t actually provide him with the results he was promised. I’m pretty sure I saw lots of people give this same excuse to Chris Hansen. Didn’t work out too well for them. Probably won’t work out too well for Don Jr.

Little Donald Jr is a pitcher? Funny, I always thought of him as a catcher. He seems to just do his daddy's bidding,parrot his talking points. I've never heard him utter a single original point.

DJTj thinks going to game farm is the same hunting. It’s all about fences & walls.

these guys will have to campaign jail cell to jail cell soon. That way they will hit all their donors and GOP pals.

This is a person who is willing to work with a hostile foreign power to undermine our Republic. Lock him up!

This is a repeat of Joe McCarthy's mob mentality to work crowds into irrational forces. Donald Trump's mentor and McCarthy lawyer Roy Cohn constructed webs of lies about fellow Americans and got away with it until people said Enough. The hucksterism gene in the Trump family is strong. Time to make it disappear again.

All mouth just like Daddy, this "patriot" lived down the street from the World Trade Center. Did he enlist? Take sandwiches to the rescuers sifting through the rubble? Donate anything? In the light of all these shootings and violent rhetoric, he adds to the problem. I miss John McCain's no, Obama isn't a Muslim (not that there is anything wrong with that), he is a decent family man that I have political differences with. This family buys gasoline, stirs things up and seems surprised that someone would use it. Sr and Jr reaction? Buy more gasoline and keep up the rhetoric.

If that's 'the best' that trump and company can do, they may have a very uncertain future, particularly if it includes a jr run for anything.

Like RussianSaudi-backed unindicted co-conspirator grifter father, Like RussianSaudi-backed grifter son. These are men who only "love" chaos, fighting, power and control (and the attention it brings them), but they hate the responsibility of actual work. Don Jr could not care less about (and is probably genetically/ neurologically incapable of caring about) the consequences and real-life human victims of their actions, first in their "businesses" and now in politics. Let's look at the tactics and activities the Trump patriarch and offspring/ siblings "enjoy": Gaslighting Pathological lying Intensity and contrasts Creating chaos and drama Polarization and conflict Provoking and discrediting Circular arguments False moral equivalencies Bankrupting businesses Attacking American companies Promoting dangerous conspiracies Associating with criminal regimes (dictators, oligarchs) Inciting the public to tribalism and violence via racist nationalism STOP FEEDING THE BEAST with these "human interest" stories about men who do not behave like humans worthy of our focus and attention. The media is creating a mini-me Trump in waiting. And it sounds like Jr is even worse than his father.

The apple does not fall far from the tree, does it not? My Christian friends will shudder as I dare to "judge" he who is above all "sin," but Don, Jr., appears to be just as corrupt and amoral as his dad. We talk about political dynasties. In fact, do we not remember Mr. Trump impugning at every turn Jeb Bush? I was no fan of the Bush presidencies, but it does seem to me that that family had enough of a moral compass and decency not to sink as low as Trumpism. This country can not sustain itself with an indelible Trump label. And for the life of me, I do not understand what has happened to us. When and how did America become so blinded as to not be able to discern good from evil. And make no mistake, Trump Inc is synonymous with the dark side of human nature.

It’s distressing that the sons were supposed to run the business to keep the president clear of conflicts. But how does that work when they are part of the campaign? These people respect no ethical or legal boundaries.

So, to run for office he would have to pick a place that is red and wouldn't challenge him too much. Texas or one of the other southern states. Bu then comes the problem of actually having to perform in office and that's where the Trumps get into trouble. Bush, the second, actually did the job of Governor. I don't see that drive to be respected in Trump, Jr.

Why is there no mention of Junior's pledge to run the family business and stay out of politics?

The Kennedys, The Bushes, The Clintons, The Trumps. Maybe our latent trust in family is one reason why we Americans continue being seduced by the dynastic transfer of power.

"An arrogant person considers himself perfect. This is the chief harm of arrogance. It interferes with a person's main task in life--becoming a better person." Leo Tolstoy This would apply to the entire Trump family. One of many criteria I will use to assess future candidates is how much humility they demonstrate, and I'm not talking about the bogus modesty of the sanctimonious Pence and his ilk. Humility and authenticity are reflections of mental health. It's a quality I'm not seeing much these days.

Junior wants to run a campaign of his own? Will America really have to suffer through Baby Trump after Papa Trump? Groan. Junior’s social media presence is bad enough, please Lord spare us any more exposure to the man. Is there no end to mediocre men out there with a hugely inflated idea of their own intellect and capabilities?

The childishness of this group of people, their puerile behavior hidden for years in the 'family' business that was accountable to no one, and now, if not endorsed by the GOP leaders, at least not muffled, is tragic. Imagine their race and immigrant-baiting. Who are these people? Sons and daughters of immigrants themselves. . and clearly, not of the strongest genetic heritage! How under-educated and irrational in your thinking can you be? Who, hundreds of years ago, came in 'caravans' -- called 'ships' -- bringing all those 'white man's diseases that wiped out indigenous peoples, brought slavery, copious amounts of alcohol and 'the worst' kind of behaviors to many shores around the globe. This is clearly a case where following in their father's footsteps is not going to end well. Their ignorance is not our bliss.

It would be terrific if folks would call out how monumentally unaccomplished Don Jr. is. The man has quite literally not done a single successful thing in his life, certainly not anything on his own. Admitted to Penn as a legacy, by all accounts a drunk. Became a bartender to be “on his own”, gave up, joined Trump organization, worked on failed Trump Mortgage and Cambridge Who’s Who (which was repeatedly sued for bad business practices, what a shocker). Cheated on his wife, getting divorced. Spends free time shooting defenseless animals with high powered guns, not an accomplishment. Now, professional liar with zero accountability to the truth or the American people. Kudos young brat, thank you for your contributions to the dumpster fire.

With his intelligence he will fit right into the GOP these days, just look at his dad. I predict a brilliant future here. He seems to have learned quite a bit of racism from his dad. This coupled with lies seems to be the only thing you need in GOP these days.

Good grief. These people are like the plague. Yes, they like to fight, yes they like riling up crowds. No, they don't join the military, no, they know nothing about our history, our Constitution, or American values. Junior's number one criteria is whether people have been "good to my daddy". Sorry, not good enough. These anaerobic Trump rallies are substitute religion, plain and simple.

The mere fact that they are willing to put a microphone in his hands and listen intently to what he has to say is precisely what I don't get and will never be able to understand about the GOP.

Sad that this sultan's son of sleaze is a voice in our political culture. American voters have been gullible suckers for decades and their tastes have hit an all-time low. It's theater of the absurd. A family known for voracious conspicuous consumption parading around espousing support for working class americans...gotta pinch myself to see if I'm dreaming.

Trump Jr., Trump Jr, A dimwit like Paw The same lack of insight The same wagging jaw. Genetically coupled Intrinsically bad May yet be indicted And pardoned by Dad.

Trot out the little prince. Sure, that'll work. Those who might vote against the so-called president's performance will be completely fooled. (Sadly, those wearing camo to a rally may be.)

“I love aspects of the fight. I don’t know how much I would love aspects of the actual job yet.” He loves the rumble on the playground, but doesn't yet have a clue what to do after it. A chip off the old block!

Trump Jr. is just like the father, he states falsehoods left and right, shows contempt towards everyone and is walking down the same aisle as his father in getting his 1st divorce. If this is the GOP's idea of a relief pitcher then the game is lost.