Why did Donald Trump Jr. visit Boise on Monday? He was at two events
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- Trump Jr. spoke at an Idaho Majority Club panel celebrating the U.S. 250th anniversary.
- Event drew 575 attendees and raised about $250,000.
- Trump Jr. spoke in support of an Idaho crypto bill.
Hundreds packed the Boise Centre on Monday evening to hear Donald Trump Jr. speak. Dozens more protested outside the event, including one woman who was arrested for using the “siren” function of her bullhorn.
But why was President Donald Trump’s oldest son in Idaho to begin with?
He came to speak at a panel event celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States, said Travis Clyde, the chair of the Idaho Majority Club, a Republican political action committee that organized the event. One of the Majority Club’s members had a “connection” with Trump Jr. that made the event possible, Clyde said. He did not share the name of the member or describe the nature of the connection.
On a panel with Gov. Brad Little, Trump Jr. answered audience questions about Idaho’s role in global trade and energy independence, Clyde told the Idaho Statesman by phone. Republican Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo donated to the event, and many state lawmakers and local officials attended, he said.
“This was a party,” Clyde said. “This was a celebration.”
Clyde only learned two weeks ago that Trump Jr. would be available to speak in Idaho, so the event came together quickly. With 575 attendees, the event maxed out the Boise Centre’s capacity. Ticket sales and donations also raised about $250,000 for the Majority Club, he said.
Media members were not permitted to attend.
Donald Trump Jr. supports Idaho bill to allow state cryptocurrency use
Trump Jr. was only in Boise for a day, Clyde said. But before the Majority Club event, Trump Jr.’s company, World Liberty Financial, hosted a separate panel for lawmakers to discuss stablecoin, a type of cryptocurrency.
At that event, Trump Jr. spoke in favor of Idaho legislation, sponsored by Rep. Dustin Manwaring, R-Pocatello, that would allow the state to use this currency to pay vendors and contractors.
“They’re supportive,” Manwaring told the Statesman of Trump Jr. and his business partner. “They think it’s great.”
In March, World Liberty Financial launched a stablecoin, called USD1, that is pegged to the U.S. dollar. Trump Jr. and his brother, Eric Trump, told CNBC in February that they wanted to push back at a global financial system they felt had unfairly ostracized their family after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“We didn’t get into crypto because we were on the leading edge,” Trump Jr. told CNBC. “We got into it out of necessity. They basically forced us into it.”
Idaho Rep. Jordan Redman, who was slated to speak on Monday’s panel but had a scheduling conflict, told the Statesman that he believed Trump Jr. was “involved in some way” with a stablecoin. But Redman, R-Coeur d’Alene, added that Manwaring’s bill wouldn’t favor any particular type of the currency.
Manwaring did not immediately respond to a phone call requesting additional information. He introduced his bill in early February, but it has not received a full committee hearing in the House Business Committee, which Redman chairs.
“Right now, I think there’s a little bit of uncertainty” among committee members about what the bill would do, Redman said.
Trump Jr. event a win for Republican Party offshoot
Clyde celebrated the Idaho Majority Club’s ability to put together such a high-profile event — a win for the political action committee about two years after its founding.
Former Ada County Republican leaders started the group after they resigned in 2023 from the county party. At the time, they cited decisions by the state party that made it “impossible” to lead effectively, the Statesman reported.
The club aims to change the tenor of Republican politics in Idaho and bring back positivity, its members told the Statesman in 2024. Its relationship with the official state Republican Party isn’t clear-cut: Some of the Idaho Majority Club’s leaders remain involved with the county party as precinct captains, but Ada County Republican Central Committee Chairman Thad Butterworth told the Statesman he viewed the political action committee and county party as competitors.
“They are Republicans, and every once in a while, our goals align, but not always,” Butterworth told the Statesman in 2024. “It is two different entities, and it’s not exactly a friendly relationship.”
On Tuesday, Clyde emphasized that anyone was welcome to buy tickets to the event, though he noted that Idaho Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon did not attend.
“I was inclined to ask Dorothy, the chairwoman, personally to come, but I didn’t get a chance to do that,” he said. “I was just a little busy.”
During a dinner earlier Monday evening, Trump Jr. asked Clyde about the Majority Club’s mission, Clyde recounted. Clyde said he told Trump Jr. that the organization promotes candidates for office, but that it avoids attacking opponents.
“The candidate should sell itself,” he recalled saying. “We don’t need to go negative against the other opponent.”
Trump Jr. was surprised to hear of a political organization taking that approach, Clyde said.
“He was taken aback by that,” Clyde said. “He’s like, ‘That’s amazing.’ ”
This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 4:29 PM.
CORRECTION: This story was corrected on Feb. 25, 2026, to reflect that U.S. Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo donated to the Idaho Majority Club event, but did not attend.
