What if Ivanka Trump replaced her father in the White House in 2024? The reasons why she wants to make the move to politics
As she designs a new life away from Washington for herself and her family, Ivanka Trump's future is the unknown that everyone wants to clear up. More interested in power than business, her political career may be about to take off. And no one rules out that she (and not her father) is the candidate to occupy the White House in 2024.
In August, at the Republican National Convention that inaugurated the presidential campaign, Ivanka Trump was commissioned to introduce her father. In a hyperbolic and self-indulgent speech, she described Trump as an "empathetic leader" overshadowed in unconventional ways and proclaimed herself "the proud daughter of the president of the people." And although she was harshly criticized for abusing propaganda and smiles in the midst of an unprecedented social and health crisis, for many political analysts her speech was that of a political leader with her own (and very ambitious) plans for her. However, on January 20, when Donald Trump officially leaves the White House and Joe Biden takes his place, Ivanka will have to reinvent herself. She will no longer be the president's senior advisor. She will not hold any official position and her agenda will be completely clear. Just like that of her husband, Jared Kushner. And because of that, a question inevitably hangs in the air: What will Ivanka Trump do from now on?
"As her father, she is very confident in herself. She will go straight to her for the jackpot: the Oval Office."
Her life before hers no longer exists. In 2018, her accessories and footwear firm closed to avoid potential conflicts of interest with her work in the White House. In addition, the return of the Kushner marriage to Manhattan seems complicated. Her closest circle, which before 2016 included Chelsea Clinton herself, was decidedly a Democrat and has not forgiven them for their political adventure in Washington or their complicity with the president's authoritarian fancies. The few friends they have left - among them the businesswoman Wendi Deng Murdoch or the designer Misha Nonnoo and her husband, the oil heir Michael Hess - have preferred to keep their relationship with the Kushners away from the spotlight for fear of being socially singled out. . And the news that the president's daughter may be thinking about taking up art collecting more professionally has sparked a visceral backlash from New York gallery owners. According to the Washington Post, "no credible gallery owner or artist would sell them anything." "Nothing indicates that they are thinking of returning to New York," explains investigative journalist Andrea Bernstein, author of the book American oligarchs: The Kushners, the Trumps, and the marriage of money and power. In Manhattan, almost 90% voted for Joe Biden. They would not be well received and living there implies going down the street, people approaching them ... ”.
According to Bernstein, they are more likely to settle in the Trump National Golf Club, located in the town of Bedminster, New Jersey. It is not a gratuitous guess. According to the New York Times, the couple is substantially expanding the "cabin" they have in the club owned by the president, which is also building a new helipad, a spa and a complex to practice yoga. They would live a stone's throw from New York, but with the security and privacy that a private club guarantees, although Bedminister is not their only option.
In December, the Kushners expanded their portfolio of properties by acquiring a 7,200-square-foot piece of land in Indian Creek, a small and exclusive island in Miami that has just 34 private residences and a golf course. According to Page Six, the marriage closed the operation paying 30 million dollars. Its previous owner? Julio Iglesias. For the Kushners, Indian Creek's claim is twofold: prying- and paparazzi-proof privacy and security at the highest level. A true bunker for billionaires in an idyllic enclave where, in theory, marriage should fit in without any problem. Not surprisingly, 79% of the 53 neighbors who voted in the last elections did so for Donald Trump. Models such as Adriana Lima or Elle MacPherson and singers such as Cher, Ricky Martin or Beyoncé have resided there. The Kushners will be neighbors of Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady, who plan to build a sustainable mansion on the island, but also their brothers-in-law, Joshua Kushner and top model Karlie Kloss.
Some political analysts have interpreted this real estate operation as the prologue to his announced political career. In fact, according to CNN, Ivanka could be considering running for a Senate seat for the state of Florida, where the Trumps have great political capital, but also the “headquarters” of their empire, the private resort of Mar -a-Lake. "Trump is very popular in Florida," explains Madeleine Marr, a reporter for the Miami Herald. He won the state by 374,000 votes, triple the margin he got in 2016. Ivanka is also having a great reception here. Increasingly. Before Christmas, he was helping to distribute food boxes to needy people at a Miami church. It is said that he could start his political career here, taking advantage of the great popularity of his father ”.
If that were the plan, the president's daughter would have to face Senator Marco Rubio, who will aspire for reelection in 2022 and who is one of the most prominent and "presidential" figures in the Republican party. Yet Bernstein doubts that her future lies in Florida. “The reason American politicians run for a Senate seat is to gain credibility and recognition, demonstrate their ability to raise funds, and develop a platform. And she, who has been a senior advisor to the president, already has all those credentials. I think it is an old-fashioned way of understanding American politics. Like her father, Ivanka Trump is very confident in herself. And so I think she would go straight to her for the jackpot. " I mean, for the Oval Office. “In 2024, Donald Trump will be 78 years old and although he has shown that he likes the power of the presidency, he has also made it clear that he does not like the job of president. Meanwhile, Ivanka is doing all the things that need to be done to position herself for a presidential campaign. "
"He's on a permanent campaign and has always said he loves Washington."
But could Ivanka surprise everyone, give up a political career and become a businesswoman or media personality again? Obviously, she would not be short of opportunities to capitalize on her popularity among the Republican ranks, but the message that she underlies all of her movements is not exactly that. “Her husband does have a better chance of returning to the business world, but everything indicates that what she likes is politics. She's on a permanent campaign and has always said that she loves Washington, ”explains Bernstein. “She acts like someone pursuing a political career. On her Instagram account, she shares photos of her children, of her husband working in the Middle East, of her travels in Africa supporting women entrepreneurs ... You can see how she is building the political message of someone named Trump, but that perhaps it may be more attractive to attract the female vote ”.
In addition, she is expressing increasingly strong ideological positions. In recent weeks, she has stood out on a critical issue for the Conservative Party, embracing anti-abortion and pro-life discourse as she has never done before. According to Bernstein, she could be part of a very thoughtful strategy. "I can imagine a political adviser saying to you, 'The way to win a presidential election is to convince the 70 million people who voted for Donald Trump plus a few million more women and people in the suburbs.' And the pro-life evangelical vote is essential in her father's electoral base. She has to secure that electorate and motivate them ”. But that shouldn't be a problem for her. "I'm pragmatic above all else," she replies if she is asked about her ambiguous ideology.
However, her political horizon is not as clear as she might seem. She will have to dispute the succession with her own brother. In the past two years, Don Jr. has become a rising star among Republican donors, and his political aspirations are no secret. In addition, Ivanka faces several legal cases that could hinder her plans. In November, the New York Times uncovered that the president's daughter had been paid for advisory services from the Trump Organization when she was a company executive, allegedly with the aim of obtaining significant tax deductions for the family business. "This is outright harassment," she angrily replied on Twitter.
In addition, the refined image of the president's daughter - whose Instagram gallery illustrates her tireless effort to be the perfect daughter, wife, mother and presidential adviser - received a severe setback in November. Lysandra Ohrstrom, her best friend as a teenager and bridesmaid at her wedding to Jared Kushner, published a very unflattering portrait of the president's daughter in Vanity Fair magazine. She "had the Trumps' radar to detect status, money, and power and the same instinct of her father to throw others to the lions in order to save herself." One of the anecdotes was particularly devastating. When Ohrstrom recommended reading Richard Russo's novel Empire Falls, about a working-class family, Ivanka replied, “Ly, why are you telling me to read a book about the fucking poor? What makes you think I might be interested?
From this moment on, Ivanka Trump will also have to face her own decisions. Although she has been audacious and has avoided verbalizing or reproducing the conspiracy messages of her father through social networks, she has not distanced herself from his very serious accusations about electoral fraud and against the very essence of North American democracy. . And that's a very heavy backpack for anyone who wants to occupy the Oval Office one day. If he can get rid of her ... only time will tell.
Melania's new life
After the elections, and while her husband suffered attacks of anger on Twitter and provoked an unprecedented political crisis, Melania Trump began to quietly pull the strings to start a new life away from Washington. According to Kate Bennet, a CNN journalist and unofficial biographer of the first lady, the first thing she did was check with what budget and staff she would count on from now on. The answer was unsatisfactory: zero. The former first ladies barely have a lifetime pension of $ 20,000 a year. And only if her husband dies. She could continue with her work on the Be Best platform, but at the moment her plans are uncertain. What seems likely is that she will sign a publishing contract. Although instead of a memoir (the format chosen by Laura Bush or Michelle Obama), she could opt for a large format photographic book focused on the decorative projects that she has completed in the White House.
