- Ivanka Trump has recently been trying to distance herself from her father’s turbulent political life.
- She has said she is done with politics, but family friends say she may have second thoughts.
- Her return is not imminent, they say, but the siren call for presidential power is hard to ignore.
It’s been nearly two years since Ivanka Trump announced she was “done” with Washington politics.
Since then, she has worked hard to distance herself from her father’s chaotic political brand, skipping announcing her 2024 campaign and saying she would “never return” to be his father’s senior adviser.
But as the saying goes, never say never.
As first reported by Pack, friends and acquaintances of former President Donald Trump’s eldest daughter say she is considering returning as Trump’s political influence grows again and the country approaches the next election. states that it is possible.
“It’s becoming more and more likely that President Trump will be president again,” R. Khoury Hay, a social media spokesperson and longtime acquaintance of the Trump family, told Business Insider.
Hay noted that Melania Trump, like Ivanka, has withdrawn from politics, but can now be seen standing next to the former president at events and greeting guests with a smile. “She is polite and friendly. My understanding is that she has said privately that she is ready to be first lady again if called upon.”
Hay added: “So why are we so shocked and surprised that Ivanka also felt the siren’s call? Despite the rocks on the shore, the call was heard. It’s very strong,” he added.
Pack reports, citing a person familiar with Ivanka’s thinking, that Ivanka is “open to the idea of trying to be helpful” to another Trump administration, and that if that happens, she would “like to have some sort of role” in the White House. “I have not personally ruled out fulfilling this goal.” Her father was elected again.
“She can’t say ‘hell’ anymore,” an anonymous source told Pac.
A representative for Ivanka declined to comment.
In recent comments to Pac, a spokesperson for Jared and Ivanka said, “As they have both repeatedly stated, Ivanka and Jared remain focused on their family and private sector lives and are not looking to return to politics. I have no intention of doing so.” . ”
A friend of Ivanka’s, who spoke to BI on condition of anonymity to speak freely about her relationship with Ivanka, told Business Insider that while she would be surprised if she returned to politics in earnest, she would definitely ease the mood. He added that he gave it to me. From now on, he will take a hard-line stance of avoiding politics. They said she was likely to be seen as her family rushed out to support Donald Trump’s re-election campaign at the upcoming Republican convention.
Friends say Ivanka is keeping her personal brand in mind as she considers her options, but it’s too early to tell whether her return will be a positive or negative thing.
In 2018, Ivanka closed her eponymous fashion brand. This comes after stores like Nordstrom stopped selling their products amid calls to boycott doing business with the Trump family. She also faced intense criticism from celebrities including Scarlett Johansson and fashion designer Alexa Chung, and was socially shunned for her role in her father’s White House.
Despite the financial and reputational damage she suffered from continuing to support her father at the time, Ivanka gradually returned to high-profile social circles with the world’s elite with her husband. . Her husband, influenced by her father-in-law, similarly drifted away from Donald Trump’s orbit. She plans to retire in 2021.
Ivanka and Jared were among the world’s elite to attend Ambani’s glamorous pre-wedding bash earlier this year, and the former eldest daughter was spotted with Kim in photos from the influencer’s 43rd birthday party last year. It graced Kardashian’s Instagram.
For some, Ivanka and her personal brand will forever be toxic due to her past work and closeness to her father. But others will see her and her father as separate entities and will actively want to engage with her – unless she is completely in his political orbit, that is, if she jumps back. If he decides to do so, he will be putting at least some of his connections with her at risk.
Since President Donald Trump left office, Ivanka has come to understand the risks to her reputation by remaining closely involved in his political life, friends told BI. He added that he was more comfortable with what it was anyway. Still, her friends said it was not easy for her to navigate her situation because of the instability of her political side.
Ivanka’s friends say that if she were to return to politics, she would prioritize the work that is most important to her and take a more measured and low-key approach, like she did when she visited Maui in the aftermath of the 2023 fires. He said it is likely that he will.
“I remember talking to Ivanka and she was very happy with the work she was doing and there was a time when she felt like it was important and she was passionate about it,” Hay said. told BI. “She liked it. But her sword was always double-edged, and she felt the other side of her sword, and that’s when she had enough.”
In addition to intense public scrutiny and ethics scrutiny regarding her personal business dealings, Ivanka, among others, was initially embroiled in a civil fraud case against the Trump Organization and was forced to testify in that case. However, her claims against her were ultimately dismissed.
“But polls suggest from afar that the tide may now be turning,” Hay said. “I can imagine that the idea of taking on some kind of role is something Ivanka is thinking about.”
