Politics
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ByCarissa Jean Mares
When Donald Trump announced his presidential run for the 2024 election, there were signs that his family felt differently about it than he did. The bid also happened to overlap with several ongoing legal battles swirling around Trump and his extended family, which is possibly what gave at least one family member pause about supporting him on the campaign trail. Trump's purported favored daughter, Ivanka Trump, has been putting some distance between herself and her father for the past few years now.
Speculation has been swirling as to why Ivanka announced that she wouldn't be joining her father on his 2024 campaign. For a while now, she has kept quiet as to her reasons, which means everyone is on the hunt for signs the relationship between Donald and his oldest daughter has soured. From a shady Father's Day post to Donald's silence on Ivanka's birthday, it seems things are not going well for the father-daughter duo. We've gathered more indications that Ivanka and Donald are fighting.
Ivanka Trump has been avoiding Donald Trump's campaign trail
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In a flagrant rebellion from her presence on Donald Trump's 2016 campaign trail, Ivanka Trump has avoided almost anything to do with his 2024 presidential run. After Donald exited the White House in 2021, Ivanka made a clear statement that she was leaving politics behind her. This was a juxtaposition from her hard work in previous campaigns to soften Trump's appearance and wrangle in more female voters — a demographic the former president consistently struggles with, for obvious reasons(remember when Donald reportedly denied that damning "Access Hollywood" tape?).
However, what's not clear is the reasoning behind Ivanka's move to avoid the campaign spotlight. In fact, Ivanka has been pretty tight-lipped about it, even having her husband, Jared Kushner, speak to The New York Times for her. Kushner explained that Ivanka "made the decision when she left Washington that she was closing that chapter of her life. And she's been remarkably consistent." He continued by stating, "We're rooting for [Donald Trump] — obviously, we're proud of him." But even that answer leaves much to be desired. It's clear something is going on behind the scenes and is beginning to bubble up to the surface.
Ivanka was caught rolling her eyes at Donald Trump
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While attending a mixed martial arts event in Miami on March 9, 2024, Ivanka Trump was caught visibly rolling her eyes at the behavior of Donald Trump. In a video that made the rounds onX, formerly known as Twitter, Donald was shown shaking hands with the general public at UFC 299: O'Malley vs Vera 2. But when Ivanka's son Joseph was ready for a handshake, Donald ignored him and moved on to the next person. This is what caused Ivanka to perform the eye roll. Ivanka was then seen comforting her son, who was understandably upset at being ignored by his grandfather.
This isn't the first time a favored woman in Trump's orbit has been visibly annoyed with him. Ivanka joins Melania Trump in rolling her eyes at Donald. It seems that having a cavalcade of younger women joining him on the campaign trail — like Alina Habba and Laura Loomer — is maybe pushing Melania and Ivanka to the limit. We can only speculate as to why these women are pulling away from Trump. However, the campaign trail isn't the only thing Ivanka seems to be ditching these days.
Ivanka Trump skipped Donald Trump's New Year's Eve party
Before casually avoiding Donald Trump's campaign trail, Ivanka Trump made a bold statement to kick off 2024. Instead of attending her father's New Year's Eve bash, Ivanka was living her best lavish life by taking her family on a ski trip. In a move that could be perceived as throwing shade, Ivanka posted a photo of herself, her husband Jared Kushner, and their three children — Arabella, Joseph, and Theodore — on Instagramand captioned it, "New year, new memories."
For his part, Donald tried to save face over this snub. In a video posted to X,Donald told his party guests, "I said, 'Go ahead, darling, go skiing. Enjoy yourself. Just don't fall, please; don't hurt yourself!'" Which begs the question: were there really that many people asking where Ivanka was? Or did he feel the need to simply get ahead of her absence by saying he "allowed" her to go? Maybe it's this controlling behavior that Ivanka is trying to distance herself from.
Ivanka Trump tried to separate herself from Donald Trump further during his trial
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When Donald Trump left office in 2021, Ivanka Trump made a point to separate her image from his. Even though she had spent the past few years as part of his campaign and administration, it was the handling of his business that could have caused her to receive the most blowback. When Donald took office, he handed over his business dealings to three of his children — Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka. So, when Trump and his businesses were involved in a fraud trial, this development threatened Ivanka personally and financially.
Notably, Ivanka did take the stand to testify, but not as a defendant. During her testimony as a third-party witness,she often claimed she was not aware of or could "not recall" almost any details about the business she was allegedly involved in. In a move that further proves Ivanka is attempting to distance herself from her father, she used her own personal attorney instead of Donald's. This was a good move, as her attorney was able to remove her from being named as a defendant, allowing her to at least keep her name out of the muck a bit more than Donald has.
Ivanka Trump has dramatically changed her style since leaving politics
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Possibly the biggest sign that things have soured between Ivanka Trump and her father Donald Trump is her shift in style since leaving his administration. Notably, during her time working in the Trump White House, Ivanka dressed conservatively — something Kimberly Guilfoyle could try instead of those inappropriate outfits. However, since finding freedom by reclaiming her personal life back, Ivanka has also begun wearing more bright and fun ensembles.
Seen partying with unlikely bestie Kim Kardashian, Ivankahas started ramping up the glitz. She's also opting for more outfits that suggest a life of freedom — and show off those staggering abs. It seems Ivanka is well on the way to rehabilitating her public image, and distancing herself from Donald has been helping. Although, it's also been a great excuse to revamp her wardrobe, which we're not mad at.
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