This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Donald Trump's son and namesake, Donald Jr., is asking Utahns to take another, deeper look at his father.
Don't stop with the admittedly "brash" exterior, he said; people should look at his work ethic, his support of education and the way he raised his children as they decide which presidential candidate to support.
"I think so many of the values that he holds dear are very much in line with the people I know out here," said Donald Trump Jr., who goes by Don. He also noted that his father doesn't drink alcohol. "Never has, never will."
In an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune on Saturday, Trump Jr. acknowledged that Utah "is going to be a more difficult state for us."
A new poll of likely GOP caucus attendees from Y2 Analytics showed how difficult it may be. In the poll released Saturday, Trump had just 11 percent support, while Texas Sen. Ted Cruz came in with 53 percent. Ohio Gov. John Kasich had 29 percent. If those results mirror Tuesday's results, Cruz would get all 40 delegates. But if Trump or Kasich could eat into his total, dropping it below 50 percent, they could each claim a share, as long as they each get at least 15 percent.
That's one reason why Trump set up a campaign office in Draper and has volunteers calling potential caucus attendees.
Trump Jr. called Utah "one of the last strongholds of the other candidates," mentioning Wisconsin as another state that doesn't appear inclined to back his father.
Part of it is that in a caucus, the candidates that have the most staff and volunteers on the ground tend to fare better; part of it is that many Mormons have been reluctant to back Trump; and part of it is that major players in the state, including Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP nominee, are endorsing rivals.
"It is hard to go against some of the favorite sons of the state," Trump Jr. said. "It is those guys playing to the party elite rather than listening to the people, and they have a lot of influence in this state."
Romney announced on Facebook that he's backing Cruz in the caucus, while his good friend and former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt endorsed Kasich.
Trump Jr. says establishment figures should realize that his father has attracted huge numbers of disaffected voters and if the nomination is wrested away from him at a contested Republican convention, they'll be rightfully angry.
While his dad has suggested that may lead to riots, Trump Jr. said Saturday that it could be "the end of the Republican Party as we know it."
Romney, a Mormon and former governor of Massachusetts, has been a particularly pointed critic of Trump, vowing to never support the man, even if he gets the nomination, and arguing that Trump has relied on hateful rhetoric toward women and people of different religions and races.
In a rally in Salt Lake City on Friday night, Trump once again called Romney a "choker" and said: "Are you sure he's a Mormon?"
At that same event, Trump acknowledged his son was in attendance and said "he wants to protect his father."
That was on display Saturday as Trump Jr. called Romney "a puppet of the establishment." And he said any suggestions that his father is a racist or any attempts to equate him with Nazis is "disgusting."
"It is unfortunate, because I think racism is still a real problem in this country," he said, suggesting that tying his father's comments to racism desensitizes the public to real acts of hate.
Trump Jr. said he's seen his dad turn on the charm with people from all walks of life, particularly when striking a business deal here or abroad. He thinks as the campaign stretches on, the American public will see that side of his dad, but they shouldn't expect him to back down from his call for more advantageous trade deals, tougher border enforcement and a more aggressive military strategy against the Islamic State terrorist group, including a possible ground invasion.
"He can be the most charming guy in the world," Trump Jr. said, "but there are times when you have to put your foot down."