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Trump says Don Jr 'wouldn't have a chance' running for NYC mayor, bats for a younger version of Rudy Giuliani

The 76-year-old Giuliani, who was the mayor of NYC between 1993 and 2001, is also Trump’s personal lawyer

President Donald Trump is known for his no-holds-barred opinion and this time, he has expressed his thought on his eldest son Donald Trump Jr’s prospects of winning the mayoral election in New York City. The poll-bound president said he would not want to see his 42-year-old son run for the post of Big Apple’s mayor because he would not win. The high-profile election is due next year and NYC will get a new mayor as the incumbent -- Bill de Blasio -- is set to complete his maximum limit of two terms. 

Trump said this in his call-in interview with Fox Business’s Maria Bartiromo on Thursday, October 8. “No, because he - no, I hope not because he couldn't win as a Republican. He couldn't - wouldn't have a chance,” he said. This was the president’s first interview since he tested for coronavirus a week ago. 

During the interview, Bartiromo raised Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s idea to eliminate the cash-bail system nationally. Trump disagreed to say that the city has been “destroyed” by the elimination of cash bail and Democrats and stressed that the city could see a turnaround under the leadership of a “young version of Rudy Giuliani” as its mayor. The 76-year-old Giuliani, who was the mayor of NYC between 1993 and 2001, is also Trump’s personal lawyer. Last month, the influential Republican unveiled a two-year plan to “revive” New York and help get more candidates of his party to get elected. 

Trump Jr has toyed with the idea of mayoral run for years

But why did Trump speak about his eldest son with first wife Ivana in connection to the NYC mayoral election? Trump Jr has for years floated the possibility of him running for the plum post though he has not spoken on the issue more recently. Both Trump and his son, Trump Jr, were born in New York City.

“I never like to rule anything out,” Trump Jr, who has no experience of holding any public office, told CNN’s State of the Union in July 2016, when asked if he would challenge Mr De Blasio. “We always like to keep our options open, so if I could do that as a service to my country, I would love to do that.” His father, who also had close links with NYC’s political leadership in the 1970s when the city was witnessing a grave financial crisis, became the president that year. 

Trump, who ruled out the idea of joining the presidential virtual debate with his Democratic rival Joe Biden on October 15, said he was playing for the entire state of New York that he comprehensively won against Hillary Clinton, a former senator from the state, in 2016.

“I'm making actually a play for the whole state. You know, I did well there. But, you know, in theory, see, the Republicans have a disadvantage. hey lose New York, Illinois and California before it even starts. So, you know, I had to run the table last time. It's not easy. And, frankly, winning the Electoral College is tougher, in my opinion, than getting the popular vote because I don't campaign in New York, Illinois, in California, you know, because they're sort of meant like they're automatic for years,” Trump said.

Meanwhile, Trump Jr, who has been campaigning actively for his father ahead of the November 3 election, released on October 7, a new video to encourage hunters and other outdoor people to vote for the incumbent next month. An avid hunter himself, Trump Jr highlighted in the video efforts made by the Trump administration for the hunters and those who conduct outdoor activities.