McKay Coppins
93d ago
Inside the succession battle dividing the Trump family—my October cover story for @TheAtlantic:
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Trump's "favorite fatherly maxim was 'Don’t trust anyone'—and he liked to test his children by asking whether they trusted him. If they said yes, they were reprimanded."
Read @mckaycoppins on the quiet war to inherit the MAGA mantle
"Trump reportedly began telling allies, 'Jared hasn’t been so good for me,' and lamenting that Ivanka could have married Tom Brady."
"Ever since Ivanka had married Jared, Don had been made to watch as this effete, soft-spoken interloper cozied up to his dad."
@TheAtlantic The Trumps have labored to project an image of unity. But over the past several months, I spoke with dozens of people close to the First Family. The power struggle they described is marked by old grievances, petty rivalries—and deceptively high stakes.
This compelling modern adaptation of “King Lear” is very much worth your time
@TheAtlantic Trump always saw Ivanka as his heir. But Don Jr. is the one who's emerged as a MAGA celebrity. As the two jockeyed for power, tensions within the family sharpened. (I'll post details from the story in this thread later. In the meantime, please read!)
@TheAtlantic How the president privately reacted when the Trump Tower meeting went public: theatlantic.com/magazine/archi… pic.twitter.com/lAkmfjdfsM
"On ski trips...Trump would jab at his children with a pole to get ahead of them. His favorite fatherly maxim was 'Don’t trust anyone'—and he liked to test his children by asking whether they trusted him. If they said yes, they were reprimanded."
Excellent @mckaycoppins profile of the Trump dynasty, the rivalry between the children, and what Donald Trump thinks of Don Jr. (“He’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer”)
"While the president writes his chapter in history, the next generation waits in the wings, jockeying for position, feuding over status, knowing only one of them can be the heir," @mckaycoppins writes
@TheAtlantic Don Jr. resented how Jared got to fly around the country w/ Trump. “I just wake up in the morning and go to whatever city they tell me to,” Don complained during one trip, according to a travel companion. “Jared’s the smart one. He has it all figured out.”
Lots of great reporting and writing from @mckaycoppins here. And I love the cover!
"Later, Don confronted Ivanka over rumors that her team was undermining him in off-the-record conversations with reporters. 'Tell your people to stop trashing me to the media,' he said..."
@TheAtlantic Don Jr. took as much joy as everyone else on twitter in those photos of Jared in the flak jacket: theatlantic.com/magazine/archi… pic.twitter.com/52DYm1vvAm
@TheAtlantic Kimberly Guilfoyle's relationship with Don was not at first celebrated by the rest of the Trump family... theatlantic.com/magazine/archi… pic.twitter.com/T82K44sSQ7
@TheAtlantic A sign of the GOP's Trumpification: the Republican leaders I interviewed were all in on Don Jr. as a rising star in the party theatlantic.com/magazine/archi… pic.twitter.com/7bMcl47dnw
@TheAtlantic Trump grew exasperated by Jared & Ivanka's efforts to change his mind on the Paris climate accord, mocking their arguments when they weren’t around. “They’re New York liberals,” he would say, according to former WH aide. “Of course that’s what they think.”
@TheAtlantic Trump was furious when it was reported that Jared Kushner used a private email server to conduct government business. "How could he be so stupid," Trump fumed, according to a White House official who was present. "That's what Hillary did!"
The Roys have nothing on this clan. Check out @mckaycoppins on Ivanka’s stumbles, Don Jr.’s rise and the battle to succeed their dad. A fantastic, juicy read.
I'll join @CNNTonight in the 10 pm hour talking about my new cover story for @TheAtlantic.
“When photos were released of Jared in Iraq in the spring of 2017, sporting a flak jacket over his oxford shirt and blazer, Don Jr spent the afternoon trading gleeful text messages with friends about the Martha’s Vineyard–meets–Mosul getup”
@TheAtlantic GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer spent 15 mins gushing to me about how great Don Jr. is on the campaign trail. When I asked him about Ivanka, he paused. “She’s a little bit harder to get,” he replied, politely. “Her faith prevents her from traveling on the Sabbath.”
A little late to this since I read @mckaycoppins' cover story bit by bit through the day, but wow.
The chronology works really well, almost like going down a hillside of rice paddies, with time to swim around in each one before jumping to the next
@TheAtlantic Don Jr. has considered running for office in the mountain west, and a privately commissioned poll showed he had a 75% favorability rating among Montana Republicans. Allies have also talked him up as a future chairman of the RNC(!)
Just over here devouring this fabulous cover story by @mckaycoppins on the Trump kids
In considering which child should carry on his legacy, President Trump is caught between competing visions—one defined by a desire for elite approval, the other by an instinct for stoking populist rage. New from @mckaycoppins
If you haven't read this from @mckaycoppins yet, make time for it this weekend.
"For a nation founded in revolt, against monarchy, the United States excels at preserving its own royalty."
I’ll be on CNN @NewDay shortly talking about the Trump family and my new story in @TheAtlantic
@TheAtlantic “Mike, isn’t this the shit that got you in trouble in Indiana?” Trump snapped at Pence in a private meeting after the VP advocated for an aggressive religious freedom executive order. theatlantic.com/magazine/archi… pic.twitter.com/F9HugXEUGz
Could @DonaldJTrumpJr be the next Trump to take up the political reins? @mckaycoppins of @TheAtlantic joins @rickwtyler to talk about his piece "The Heir"
“They’re undeniably adaptable. When the family business was real estate, they learned contracts & building approvals & architecture. Then it was television, and they learned that industry. Now, a decade later, they’ve turned around and learned politics.”
"When a rumor went forth that Eric had ordered lower-quality steaks to be served at the [Mar-a-Lago] restaurant, members erupted in outrage: His father never would have allowed this."
Exceptionally interesting: In considering which child should carry on his legacy, President Trump is caught between competing visions—one defined by a desire for elite approval, the other by an instinct for stoking populist rage. New from @mckaycoppins
👉📺 @TheAtlantic’s @mckaycoppins joins @mitchellreports on @MSNBC to discuss his October cover story that published this AM: theatlantic.com/magazine/archi… pic.twitter.com/9jXfhyBgcx
Don Jr.'s campaigning in the midterms in particular earned him a ton of goodwill with Republican leaders theatlantic.com/magazine/archi… pic.twitter.com/vQTv0Nk9ZK
@TheAtlantic Trump has been known to watch his children on Fox News and offer a running commentary on their performances to whoever is around: theatlantic.com/magazine/archi… pic.twitter.com/XFuWBtfpy0
After last night's episode of Succession, this @mckaycoppins cover story feels eerily spot-on.
The gist of McKay Coppins' Trump family piece is:
a.) Don, Jr., is the dumbest member of the Trump family.
and
b.) Don, Jr. has the brightest political future of any member of the Trump family.
This, from @mckaycoppins is a stunning, incredible piece. Reads like the opening chapter of a book Id eagerly gobble up. Kudos. @TheAtlantic
@TheAtlantic Don Jr. once broke down in tears at a college party while talking about his father. “He was drinking himself into a really dark place,” a former frat brother told me. theatlantic.com/magazine/archi… pic.twitter.com/l9teD72DJh
Don’t forgive, don’t forget. “DiCaprio, Sandberg, Anne-Marie Slaughter—all wanted on [Ivanka’s] calendar. She began to claw her way out of exile, thanks to advocacy for the tax bill. As people got richer, [Ivanka and Jared] started getting welcomed back.’”
Don, Jr. calls Kimberly Guilfoyle "Pooh Bear," and she calls Don, Jr. "Junior Mint."
"Ask not what your country can do for you, they seem to say; ask what your country can do for the Trumps."
If the world isn't on fire in 10 years or so, this will make a great HBO series. @mckaycoppins
As I wrote in my recent feature on the Trump family, this little road show with Don Jr. and Guilfoyle has been very popular with rank-and-file MAGA types theatlantic.com/magazine/archi… pic.twitter.com/A6ITuqu0Ib
The dream was a manifestation of a few things. My looking forward to reading McKay’s latest for the Atlantic (I’m holding off to read the dead tree version on Shabbat): theatlantic.com/magazine/archi… That I want to pitch something to LDS Living. And I need more wipes at Costco.