Overview
- Multiple outlets are amplifying a Daily Mail narrative describing a "shadow Republican Party" of Bush-era donors and strategists preparing to assert influence once President Trump leaves office.
- Accounts cite an unpublicized Kennebunkport gathering and suggest Jonathan Bush is eyeing a 2026 Maine gubernatorial run, though these details have not been independently confirmed.
- An unnamed former Bush official is quoted saying there is no third term for Trump, that Vice President J. D. Vance has an early advantage, and that 2028 will be a wide-open contest.
- Commentary around the coverage notes polling that shows high approval for Trump among Republican voters, underscoring uncertainty about any immediate establishment resurgence.
- Donald Trump Jr. responded on X to the reports by writing, "We will never let this happen."