Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner distance themselves from the former president and his constant complaints
Every day that passes away from Washington, the complaints of former President Donald Trump do not stop. And those complaints seem to be alienating two of the people who were closest to him during his tenure in the White House: his daughter Ivanka Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Sometimes the former president complains for several hours about the "stolen" elections of 2020. Other times, his frustrations gush out, rather when he talks about his hopeful return to national politics. And while he often has a roving audience of cheering listeners, the gap between Trump and his daughter and son-in-law is widening each week, according to 12 former Trump White House officials, former administration officials, family friends, acquaintances. and members of Trump's team who spoke to CNN about the changes in the former president's current inner circle.
Much of the reason for the split is Trump's constant insistence on the past and his inability to turn the page. The former president has also begun to question the role that Kushner, one of the few people who was able to stay close to Trump throughout his two presidential campaigns and his stay in the White House, has played in his presidential legacy.
Ivanka Trump has also struggled to undo the tangles caused by years with her father in the White House, as she seeks a less complicated life for her family, according to two acquaintances. She was described as a person who has to walk a fine line between accepting her father and distancing her from her electoral lies.
After having spent much of the last five and a half years very close to him, Ivanka Trump and Kushner were hardly seen with him in the months before the change of season of the former president, who went from living in Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, to a country house at his private golf club in Bedminster, NJ.
"They did not attend the usual spring and summer events in Mar-a-Lago," says a club attendee and family friend, noting the absence of Trump's eldest daughter and the couple's three young children.
Simultaneously, the disappearance of Kushner, who in his day was the mastermind of Trump's political operations, was also evident. A person familiar with Kushner says there were visits from the Kushner / Trump family to Mar-a-Lago prior to Trump's move North, but they were rare, on average once every three to four weeks. The physical distance between them was not great: after leaving Washington, Kushner and Ivanka Trump moved to a Miami skyscraper awaiting the construction of their mansion on a nearby private island.
Kushner's presence, physically and virtually, has become increasingly rare as it became clear that her father-in-law was still concerned about the 2020 election, according to a person familiar with the situation.
"He was kind of like a father who stays less and less every morning as he transitions from his son to kindergarten," this person said.
Kushner steps aside
It wasn't distance that drove Kushner away, those who know his mindset say: It was the desire to be away from the constant stream of Trump's contempt, and the chorus of voices that hail him.
"Trump always has a series of characters around him," says a person who worked in the administration.
By mid-March, some of Trump's most trusted advisers began urging him to add someone to their team who could oversee the day-to-day operations and help organize his candidate meetings, fundraising applications, and the process. selection of guarantees.
“I don't think it's accurate to say that I needed a new Jared, because Jared was always more of a politics guy within the White House, but there was definitely a sense that some part of the puzzle was missing and was contributing to a lot of internal turmoil and chaos. "Said a former White House official.
Eventually, Trump hired Susie Wiles, a Florida-based consultancy who had earned his trust and was a familiar face to other members of his staff. But the frequency of Wiles's appearances, as well as her overall involvement, has also decreased since Trump moved to Bedminster for the summer, according to one of the people involved in his operation.
Another constant presence is that of Donald Trump Jr, whose fondness for politics has grown in the years since his father entered the political scene and who has become an increasingly trusted advisor to the former real estate mogul.
Kushner is not helping Trump finalize plans for a rally later this month, nor is he intensely involved in the former president's sponsorship decisions or his frequent public statements, which, without a social media presence, come via Press releases from Trump's leadership campaign committee, Save America, again, something Kushner has walked away from.
Without the input of his eldest daughter and her husband, Trump is isolated from his influence, although the person close to Kushner notes that he "still speaks on the phone" with the former president.
Now Trump finds himself more often in the company of an ever-changing circle of advisers. Trump's allies say he is reconnecting with characters who should require supervision, noting that he has been in frequent contact with One America News anchor Christina Bobb, a prolific advocate of implausible theories about the 2020 election, in addition to the CEO of MyPillow, Mike Lindell, who has encouraged Trump to continue to challenge the 2020 election results in various states.
A member of Trump's team tells CNN that the former president "has always had separate relationships" with various people and that even in the White House, with Kushner down the hall, Trump could frequently be "directing his own play." This person points out that Trump's picture of recent influences is akin to his unconventional way of soliciting opinions from him.
"There are other circles around him, yes," says this person, who does not dispute that there are questionable characters in the former president's ear, "but that does not mean that he does not also have very reasonable and serious people there."
The person close to Kushner adds that the group in which Trump bounces off his wildest and most questionable theories is not, even if conspiratorial in nature, completely outside the purview of a large number of "regulars" with whom he has had relationships throughout. of the years.
"The stakes [now] are also lower than when he was in the White House," says the source.
Eroded confidence
Trump has begun to privately question Kushner's contributions to his legacy. A person who spoke to the former president in the past two weeks recounted a conversation in which Trump complained that Kushner signed a contract for a book that he believes his son-in-law will use to take credit for some of his accomplishments.
Another source confirms there is jealousy on Trump's part over Kushner's book, which according to a Kushner associate was a "seven-figure deal" with Broadside Books, the conservative arm of mega-publishing house HarperCollins. Trump, who has lately collaborated with several journalist-preparing books on his presidency, has yet to announce a deal of his own.
"He's always been suspicious of Jared," this person said, noting that Trump has previously ruled out Kushner's role in some of the key policies he enacted as president, including the Middle East peace accords and criminal justice reviews.
Two people familiar with the talks Trump has had since arriving in Bedminster in May say he questioned whether Kushner "achieved Middle East peace after all" after tensions between Israel and Hamas erupted in a violent series of airstrikes. last month.
"It's no secret that President Trump doesn't like it when he believes other people are getting care for something that he feels he has facilitated," says another former Trump White House official. "There is an optimal boundary between saying nothing about the work you've done and saying too much that everyone has to find ... or else it gets triggered."
A person who works with Trump now rebuts that the former president has spoken of Kushner's disloyalty, noting that several of the authors who have interviewed the former president for their books have asked him directly if Trump blames Kushner for his electoral loss.
"Each time, he has definitely answered 'no', officially," the person says.
People close to Kushner laugh at the idea of a distancing, saying Trump is provocative sometimes because that's who he is.
They note that Kushner has long been used to Trump's occasional reactions, and that they don't bother him.
"He knows that Trump recognizes his successes," says the person close to Kushner.
Even so, Kushner's intimates do not hide that the couple does not agree with the current activities of the former president. It is clear that the close counseling relationship no longer exists.
The distance that Kushner and Ivanka Trump have put between their current lives and that of the former president has also helped, but that gap will soon be closed.
Road trip
In the past week, Kushner, Ivanka Trump and their children have been on a summer road trip, from Miami to eventually Bedminster. It's the kind of summer activity that millions of American families participate in, but the Kushner clan has made stops along the way with the best of the previous Trump administration.
Over the weekend, they were in Kiawah, South Carolina, staying with former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who has made no secret of her desire to run for president but remains removed from Trump's inner circle. after publicly criticizing his response to the 2020 election. The Kushners and Haleys were spotted on a double date at a popular local restaurant. Haley said in April that she would not run for the White House in 2024 if Trump decides to run, or that she would at least discuss that scenario with him.
"That is something that we will have a conversation about at some point if that decision is something that has to be made," he said at a press conference.
Haley, like the Kushners, added that she has put space between herself and the former president, noting that she had not spoken to him since after the election, but before the Jan.6 assault on the Capitol by a mob of supporters. her.
The source close to Kushner downplayed her visit with Haley, saying that South Carolina was simply "one of the states along the way" on her trip.
They were in Nashville Monday, paying a visit to former State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus, a close friend of Ivanka Trump and a frequent guest on Fox News. During the Trump administration, Ortagus worked for then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who in recent months has toyed with the idea of a White House run.
The Kushner family will eventually arrive at their accommodation on the East Coast, and the person close to Kushner said they will also spend time in his old New York apartment, as well as in Bedminster. They might also visit the Hamptons, the summer playground of the rich and connected.
In Bedminster, the Kushners 'and the Trumps' country houses are barely tens of meters apart, about the closest that families have been in an extended period since the White House. Kushner's allies say that won't be a problem for him, as the two men are "not at odds," as one describes their relationship. Another friend of Kushner says that the men have a "good relationship, but [Kushner] is not close to his political orbit."
However, things could be a bit more challenging for Ivanka Trump, who for the past few months has walked a tightrope between Trump, her father, and Trump, the wounded loser of a controversial election.
At the moment, he is not getting involved in rhetoric, nor in the unknowns that may arise for his father: politics, business, relationships or investigations.
"She is being very present, in the moment," says a person who has worked closely with her for the past few years. She is not worried.
"After spending four years serving and traveling extensively around the country, Ivanka is taking time with her family and friends," her former chief of staff Julie Radford explains to CNN.
Explaining why the former president's life is not sympathetic to his daughter's, one of Kushner's close friends said: "She is focused on her children, and spending time with them, period."
"Listen, you lose an election, things happen, people get over it, move on, they are natural consequences," says Kushner's friend.
The person familiar with Trump's thinking insists that no one has been "removed" from his inner circle and that whatever the state of the relationship, the blurred lines between employee, advisor, and son-in-law exist because both have done so.
This is family, and family has its own category. Its own unique category, ”said the person.
