New York Times: “Trump Jr. is apparently worried. ‘Don’s the only person who thinks they’re going to lose,’ says a prominent conservative activist who is in regular contact with him and other key members of Trump’s political operation. ‘He’s like, ‘We’re losing, dude, and we’re going to get really hurt when we lose.’’ An electoral defeat in November, Trump Jr. fears, could result in federal prosecutions of Trump, his family and his political allies. He has told the conservative activist that he expects that a Biden administration will not participate in a ‘peaceful transition’ and instead will ‘shoot the prisoners.’ (‘This is 100% false,’ Surabian says. ‘Don does not have these concerns.’)”

“Even assuming his worst fears aren’t realized, a Trump defeat in November would pose an existential question for Trump Jr. He has become a figure of genuine political value, but that value remains mostly a function of his status as the premier surrogate for his father. This is the most treasured currency there is in a Republican Party in which political fortunes now rise and fall based on proximity and devotion to Donald Trump — but what happens to that currency if Trump leaves the stage? At the same time, it is difficult to see Trump Jr. coming fully into his own as a political figure until he does what he struggled unsuccessfully to do in his younger years: escape his father’s shadow. Although he would obviously prefer that his father win in November, people close to him say that, in some ways, having Trump out of the White House would be advantageous for Trump Jr. They use words like ‘unshackled’ and ‘free’ and speculate excitedly about his running for office in Montana or Florida — or, a few dare to dream, even the presidency — in 2024.”