What will Ivanka Trump do when she leaves her advisory job at the White House?
Joe Biden's victory in the recent US presidential election represents far-reaching changes for those who have worked closely with President Donald Trump. And one of the people closest to him is undoubtedly his daughter Ivanka.
Ivanka Trump has always been very close to her father's activities, from managing his companies and participating in his reality show 'The Apprentice' to the government of the nation. Ivanka has been the president's adviser throughout Trump's tenure, and she and her husband Jared Kushner, also a presidential adviser, have been two of the most influential figures in the White House.
Considering that a large number of characters have passed through the cabinet and Trump's environment who, in one way or another, have fallen from the grace of the president, Ivanka and Jared Kushner have been two of the few figures who have maintained their position, influence and visibility in that close circle.
At the time, Ivanka's appointment to a high position in the White House was widely criticized, both because it implied a practice of nepotism and because she did not actually have the experience in government, politics, and other key matters of national interest that many consider, is indispensable to occupy high profile positions in the administration. And a thorough balance has yet to be made to qualify what she did or omitted in that role.
Now, according to The Guardian, some are wondering what Ivanka will do once her father's presidency ends on January 20, 2021.
One option mentioned is for her to return to her role as a businesswoman and entrepreneur. Before her father took office, she held a senior position in the Trump Organization and ran her own clothing line. And she had a unique role as a judge in "The Apprentice." But that reality show is no longer produced and its clothing brand has also been suspended after several chain stores decided in 2017 to stop marketing it because, it was claimed, it generated few sales. Ivanka closed that clothing line in 2018.
Ivanka can certainly return to the Trump Organization in a prominent position but probably, from what has been mentioned in the media, it would not perhaps be her best or preferred option. On the one hand, the investigations into alleged irregularities in that corporation are advancing in New York and, on the other, Ivanka might prefer a role in which she has a wide leading role and great visibility.
According to OK! Magazine, Ivanka Trump and her siblings have received offers to participate in new television shows, and she would be the most wanted.
For example, it is claimed that Ivanka would be of interest to the program 'Dancing with the Stars' or that she could have her own reality show in the vein of 'The Apprentice'. Ivanka's fame, and the appeal she will presumably maintain for millions of people, would make her an alternative for broadcasters interested in a new high-rated show.
Still, Ivanka, who has already tasted the influence of power, could seek other horizons and is wealthy enough to wait for the best chance.
It has long been said that Trump could create a new news network to project her ideas and influence once she leaves the presidency. So far, that is only a possibility but it is plausible that Ivanka could have a significant role in that project, which would allow her to have an important margin of action and reflections outside of the family businesses.
It has even been commented that, in the future, she could seek to embark on her own political career, running for popularly elected positions supported by the enormous electoral force that her father maintains.
Biden got more than 75 million votes, won the majority of the Electoral College and with it the presidency, but Trump added more than 71 million votes and is the dominant force in many states and districts. Ivanka could, in that context, run as a conservative option, heir to her father's right-wing populism, to fill legislative or executive positions.
All in all, all of this is speculation and the current administration is still in effect for more than two months, with a President Trump refusing to acknowledge Biden's victory. And although Ivanka has not been directly alluded to, it has been mentioned that her husband Jared and even Melania Trump would have approached her father-in-law and husband, respectively, to suggest that he accept his defeat.
It is difficult to elucidate from what is known whether this was real or speculation, but in any case it is plausible that Ivanka could have an influence on her father's decision. He would have had her in the past and she is one of the few people Trump considers unconditional.
And presumably Ivanka, who has supporters and detractors on a large scale, will eventually seek to forge a new stage in her career.
