Here's Why Ivanka Trump Once Said She Will Never Be Part of Dad Donald Trump's Administration
Before Ivanka Trump took on an active role in her father Donald Trump's administration, the First Daughter had no political aspirations per se. In a 60-minute interview, the former model and businesswoman expressed that she was happy just being a daughter and supporting her father while he ran for the White House in 2016.
Ivanka was accompanied by her father, half-sister, Tiffany, brothers, Eric and Donald Jr., and stepmom, Melania. The family discussed their plans and their respective roles in the Oval Office if elected. Ivanka admitted she's always been "very passionate" about advocating for women's rights and issues, "but not in a formal administrative capacity," Daily Mail reported.
"I'm going to be a daughter. But I've said throughout the campaign that I am very passionate about certain issues. And that I want to fight for them," she asserted, citing wage equality and childcare as the things most important to her. Additionally, she stressed that she has a passion for 'education' and creating more "opportunities for women."
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"So you know there're a lot of things that I feel deeply, strongly about. But not in a formal administrative capacity," explained Ivanka. Instead, the siblings decided to stay back in New York to take care of the family business. Eventually, Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner did go on to play active roles in Donald Sr.'s administration. The First Daughter and the son of a pardoned felon, Charles Kushner, joined the Oval Office despite the anti-nepotism rule.
Ivanka was the senior advisor to her father from 2017 to 2021 and also was the director of the Office of Economic Initiatives and Entrepreneurship. Her portfolio in the White House included a few key components like women's economic empowerment and working family issues, workforce development, promoting STEM education, and combating human trafficking, as per CNN.
My daughter, Ivanka, just arrived in South Korea. We cannot have a better, or smarter, person representing our country.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 23, 2018
Despite critics' reservations about her lack of experience, Ivanka continued to serve and also helped in rolling out a $1 billion initiative with the World Bank in 2017, specifically aimed at promoting women entrepreneurship in developing countries. When the World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim, stepped down from the role, she was charged with choosing his replacement.
Fast forward to the present, when her father chose to run for a second term after losing to his Democrat rival Joe Biden, Ivanka announced beforehand that she and her husband wouldn't actively participate in his 2024 campaign, citing that they were prioritizing their children. Being a public figure was not easy and the constant media scrutiny and her father's resurfacing scandals led her to distance herself from politics entirely.
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In March 2024, a source close to Ivanka told People, "She is very happy, living her best life. She left politics totally in the rearview mirror and so this time around, even if her dad is the leading Republican candidate, she basically doesn't care. She told him when he said he was going to run again that she didn't want to be involved."
