The pace and decisiveness with which President Donald Trump has approached his second term in the White House has been apparent from day one, and according to one political commentator, there is a fairly simple explanation for the phenomenon.

Writing for PJ Media, Scott Pinsker suggests that the key differentiator between Trump's first term and his second lies with the fact that first daughter Ivanka Trump is out as the president's most trusted advisor, making way for her brother, Donald Trump, Jr. to assume the role.

Ivanka out, Don Jr. in

Pinsker begins his piece by quoting a 2017 Women's Health article in which it was asserted, “Ivanka is Donald Trump's biggest supporter and must trusted advisor.”

According to that magazine's account, Pinsker says, Ivanka, together with husband Jared Kushner, “was the ultimate power behind the MAGA throne,” shaping the tone and tenor of the first Trump administration to a substantial degree.

Pinsker notes, “the Ivanka-Jared fingerprints were real. Steve Bannon was fired when he went against 'em. They even outranked the secretary of state, functioning de facto as America's top diplomats. They were everywhere!”

Now, however, in the wake of Ivanka and Jared's decision to focus on family life in Miami, it is Donald Trump Jr. who is, as Pinsker suggests, “first in line to the president.”

Whereas Don. Jr. may lack, Pinsker says, the “drop-dead gorgeous” looks of Ivanka Trump and may not be a “natural-born superstar” like his sister, he does possess “authentic conservative instincts, passions, and the firsthand knowledge that can only be gained by actually doing the grunt work” of traveling and campaigning on his father's behalf.

First son's influence grows

According to Pinsker, Don. Jr. was the force behind the selection of then-Sen. JD Vance to serve as his father's running mate.

That, Pinsker says, is emblematic of the very consequential shift in personnel seen in the current Trump administration as compared to the first.

The author muses, “We've gone from milquetoasts Mike Pence to the firebrand JD Vance,” asking rhetorically, “Could you even imagine Pence calling out [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky on his rudeness? I can't. Pence would've saluted Zelensky and refilled his coffee mug.”

In large part due to Don. Jr.'s influence, Pinsker says, the “personnel changes weren't just cosmetic; they were substantive and deliberate.”

He notes, “Trump's first term was dominated by names including Mike Pence, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Rex Tillerson, Nikki Haley, and Reince Priebus. Today, the names are JD Vance, Pam Bondi, Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, Elon Musk...and Don Trump Jr.”

2028 rumors abound

Earlier this month, journalist Diana Falzone asserted that the president's oldest son was seriously mulling a 2028 White House run, quoting an administration insider as saying “Don has been the most politically involved of all the Trump kids and has always kept the lanes open for a presidential run. He is a valued voice for his father, and a real possibility to be a contender in 2028.”

Trump Jr., for his part, wasted no time in attempting to quash those suggestions in response, posting on X, “I accurately predicted that my buddy JD would be an instant power player in national GOP politics, so your theory is that I worked by [expletive] off to help get him the VP nomination because I want to run for president in 2028? Are you [expletive] retarded?” Whether the first son's disclaimers are still as forceful a year from now, however, only time will tell.