Trump Jr. influenced his father's choice of Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke during the presidential transition. Since his father's victory in the 2016 election, Trump Jr. has developed what "The Washington Post" calls a "public persona as a right-wing provocateur and ardent defender of Trumpism". "The Atlantic" reported that Trump had described Trump Jr. in 2017 as "not the sharpest knife in the drawer." Trump Jr. earned the nickname "Fredo" among some Trump campaign staffers, a reference to a character in "The Godfather".