First lady in the shadow ?: what will be the role of Ivanka Trump in the White House
At 35, Ivanka Trump is used to being in the public spotlight.
During her teens she worked as a model. As an adult, she became a successful businesswoman whose empire spans fashion, business, media, and self-help. They attribute a net worth of US $ 150 million to him.
But the also book author faces a whole new level of public scrutiny as her father, Donald Trump, prepares to assume the presidency of the United States on Friday, January 20.
In her first press conference, the tycoon clarified that her daughter will withdraw from everything related to the Trump Organization, while her sons Eric and Don will handle the family businesses.
And in early January, the Republican named Ivanka's husband, Jared Kushner, as one of her close advisers.
Kushner's work in the White House is expected to cover a wide range of topics: from trade issues to Israel and the Middle East, to agreements between the government and the private sector.
But what new role does Trump have in mind for his eldest daughter in government?
With own office
For now, Ivanka Trump and Kushner will have their own office there, in a space usually destined for the first lady.
In November, Donald Trump announced that his wife, Melania, will continue to live in New York at least for a time. The goal, he explained, is that the marriage's only child, Barron, can finish the school year.
Susan Swain, author of a book on America's first ladies, points out that Melania's decision is a change in typical White House protocol.
However, Swain says, it is not a surprising decision for a family facing the political arena of DC for the first time.
"In order to survive in this role, each first lady has to adapt it to her own image," explains Swain, noting that Michelle Obama also considered staying in Chicago with the couple's two daughters after Barack Obama won the 2004 presidential election. .
In fact, she adds, Melania Trump's decision to remain in New York reflects a sentiment shared by different First Ladies across generations: the need to give children a "normal" life and to protect them from the public eye as much as possible.
De facto first lady
While Melania remains in New York, Ivanka Trump appears poised to take on some of the first lady's duties, serving as a de facto hostess at formal events and meetings with dignitaries.
This is not particularly unusual either. American Presidents like Thomas Jefferson, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan enlisted the help of non-wives family members for that role.
However, the role of Ivanka Trump could be greater.
At the end of last year, for example, she participated in a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and in a meeting with the leaders of Facebook, Apple, Google and other Silicon Valley giants.
Michael Kranish, co-author of the book Trump Revealed: An American Journey of Ambition, Ego, Money and Power, says that while Trump's plans for Ivanka they will remain confused until a formal announcement is made, the fact is that the president-elect has always had members of his family as his closest business advisers.
"Ivanka played an important role in the campaign and the transition, so she and her husband are expected to play a very important role in advising her," says Kranish.
Antinepotism
Ivanka has championed specific causes in the past, such as childcare, women's rights, and climate change - issues that can sometimes be tackled with more traditional GOP guidelines.
In an interview with The New York Times, adviser Anne-Marie Slaughter said she saw Ivanka Trump as the advocate for women during her father's presidency.
In fact, legally nothing prevents you from influencing the government agenda on these and other issues.
As long as she is not a federal employee, Ivanka falls outside the US nepotism laws established during the Kennedy era to prevent members of a president's family from gaining too much power.
Advisor to President-elect Kellyanne Conway has said the Trump administration intends to take advantage of that loophole.
"The anti-nepotism law apparently has an exception if you want to work in the west wing, because the president has the power to appoint her own staff," Conway said, adding that to do any job in the White House, a "complete
Still, allegations of conflicts of interest are unlikely to go away.
The conflict bracelet
Ivanka Trump has already experienced firsthand how difficult it will be to keep family businesses separate from the government.
Just 10 days after the electoral victory, Donald Trump and his family gave the first nationally televised interview to the CBS program 60 Minutes.
On the show, Ivanka wore a $ 10,800 bracelet from her own jewelry brand.
A press release promoting the bracelet sparked a media dispute, resulting in a formal apology from the company's president.
Was that misstep a learning experience or a preview of the kinds of conflicts of interest to be experienced during the Trump administration? The experts don't know yet.
"As a country we are in new territory," says Swain. "Never before have we had a business family of such magnitude in the White House."
"We can only hope that the Trump family is wary of all the ethical challenges they might face."
