Son of Rich Businessman Turned President Cosplays As Very Relatable Everyman

By Ashley Reese  |  December 21, 2020 | 8:50pm
Politics
Son of Rich Businessman Turned President Cosplays As Very Relatable Everyman
Image:John Bazemore (AP)

In his never-ending quest to become a sentient Bass Pro Shops, President Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr rocked some incredibly ugly cameo-adjacent sneakers while campaigning over the weekend for Georgia Senator David Perdue.

Trump, along with his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, attended the Ringgold Georgia rally on Saturday, emphasizing the importance of the Senate runoff races in defeating the Antifa super soldiers plaguing their nightmares. “The communists, the crazies on the left want to burn down this country they want to steal your freedom,” Guilfoyle warned.

The runoff races—in which Republican Sen. Perdue is competing against Jon Ossoff while Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler is duking it out with Rev. Raphael Warnoc—will determine which party controls the Senate. “Even with the president in place, what can we do without the Senate?” Don Jr asked the audience. “My father didn’t need this job and I don’t need this job and you don’t need to be here. We know that there’s a bigger picture. We know that there’s more at stake.”

Speaking louder than his words ever could, though, was Trump’s atrocious choice in footwear, which provided another way of speaking to voters.

Trump appeared to be wearing Gel-Quantum 350 5 Trail hiking shoes by Asics in the colorway, Olive Canvas: or, more specifically, ‘This-Totally-Looks-Like-Camo-If-You-Glance-At-It Quickly Green.’

Don Jr has never been particularly stylish, certainly not compared to his sister Ivanka or his girlfriend Guilfoyle, who has never met a snug wrap dress she doesn’t like. So it’s not exactly surprising that he’s wearing some ugly dad shoes. What’s amusing isn’t so much the shoes as much as it’s his commitment to posing like a humble All-American Everyman, someone that, as the child of a multi-millionaire, he’ll never actually be.

This isn’t necessarily how Donald Trump Jr would dress at a fundraiser or out and about in New York City. But in Trump country, when he’s surrounded by gator hunters, gun enthusiasts, and wannabe outdoorsmen from the suburbs, his dress is as strategic as any other politician: Comfy, casual, camo.

This isn’t to say that Don Jr’s passion for the great outdoors is an act: he grew to enjoy the lifestyle when he was young and determined to separate himself from his monied, city slicker father. But he sure lays it on thick to compensate for his upbringing.

On the campaign trail in Georgia, where trying on a persona to earn voter trust is paramount, Don Jr laced up camo-style shoes, donned bootleg jeans with whiskers by the pocket, and combined a wannabe casual plaid button-up with a sports jacket combo that screams, “Eh, I just threw on any old thing, just like you.”

Don Jr may enjoy red-blooded American (white) male pastimes, but he’s not the average red-blooded American (white) man. He’s still the rich son of an ostensibly wealthy businessman turned president. His entire career is the result of the same nepotism he rails against, and some ugly camo shoes can’t change that. But he’s cleverly turned his occasional opining over being trapped between two worlds into clout, and now he’s become something of a hunting lifestyle influencer.

“Most people see me as a businessman, a figure in the political world and a family man,” Trump wrote in a recent Instagram post. “While I certainly love all of these things I also felt the need to work on a passion project in the world of hunting, fishing and adventure.”

So he and some friends launched Field Ethos Journal, a brand which touts itself as a blog, podcast, and filmmaking outfit “founded by adventurers, writers, and conservationists.”

Judging by the Instagram account, it’s mostly aesthetically pleasing snapshots of guns and hard liquor, black and white photos of tough guys, and Donald Trump Jr posing with animals he just killed.

Leave it to Don Jr to find a way to turn “it’s not a phase, mom!” into an entire side hustle.

 
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