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Donald Trump Jr. wants Alex Jones to temporarily serve as press secretary if his father, former President Donald Trump, returns to the White House after the 2024 election
Trump remains the frontrunner to snag the Republican presidential nomination next year, likely setting up a rematch with President Joe Biden next November. Recent polls suggest the general election would be tight, with several surveys giving the former president a slight edge. Chatter has already begun among some conservatives about who may serve in a Trump White House if he were to win the election.
During the Thursday episode of his podcast Triggered, Trump Jr. speculated about who may work in the White House if his father wins the election. He suggested he would like to see a conservative firebrand such as InfoWars host Jones in the role of press secretary for "two weeks to a month" to "put these idiots in their place."
Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign and InfoWars for comment via email.
Jones is a right-wing conservative commentator known for embracing conspiracy theories. Notably, Jones claimed that the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, in which 20 first-graders and six school administrators were killed, was a hoax, accusing the victims involved of being actors complicit in staging the deadly tragedy. These claims have not been substantiated by any evidence.
He was ordered to pay nearly $1 billion last year to the families of the Sandy Hook victims as a result of a defamation lawsuit against him.
Trump Jr. acknowledged his comments would be "controversial" and that he does not believe Jones has "done everything right." He predicted his comments would lead to "clickbait hit pieces."
"Alex Jones, for like a month, would put these people in his place. Because again, not saying he's done everything right, but he's been a lot more right over the last decade or so than anyone in our mainstream media. And I can say that with a fact, and I'll get criticized for it. But that's reality. He has been far more right than our mainstream media on the vast majority of things that are out there," he said.
Conservative influencer Laura Loomer could also fill the role, Trump Jr. said, adding that he is "not even joking" about his proposal.
"I'm actually serious. I'm not saying permanently. But for a week," he said. "We've got to get the all-star roster."
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About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more