From ‘Kai Trump 2040’ to Don Jr and Eric, the Trump family has made its mark on the Republican convention

It was around the timewhen one of the delegates to the RNC yelled, “Kai Trump 2040!” when the scope of the Trump takeover of the Republican Party was suddenly laid very bare.

Major-party conventions often feature family members and friends close to the person at the top of the ticket. It’s nothing new. But the Trumpification of the GOP which was on full display this week took that trend to the extreme — and made clear that the continued strength of the MAGA movement would not only persist through 2024, but well into the future.

A speech Wednesday evening from 17-year-old Kai Trump, granddaughter of Donald and eldest daughter to Don Jr, was largely unremarkable in terms of its content. The younger Trump espoused the familial qualities of her grandfather — “To me, he’s just a normal grandpa” who slips the grandkids “candy and soda” — as she’d have been expected to do. But the three generations of Donald Trump’s family all participating in the RNC this year are decidedly a larger part of the process than family members of a president — current or former — have ever played in a presidential nominating convention.

In addition to the speech from Kai Trump, this week has featured speeches from most of Trump’s adult children and their spouses. Sons Donald Trump Jr and Eric spoke, as did Don Jr’s wife Kimberly Guilfoyle (a Fox personality and Rumble host), as well as Eric’s wife Lara (co-chair of the Republican Party, installed by Trump after the resignation of Ronna McDaniel.) Only absent so far from the speaking stage are Ivanka Trump and Jared Kuschner, set to be in attendance without speaking roles, and Melania, who is taking a decidedly less public role in her husband’s third campaign for the presidency. Although Melania