Red Flags In Donald Trump & Ivanka's Relationship

When Donald Trump gave his victory speech on Election Day 2024, many of his family members were by his side, including his oldest daughter, Ivanka Trump. Although she was present on the stage, her position in relation to her father was impossible to ignore: where she once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the president-elect, Ivanka found herself nestled among the usual suspects on the sidelines. In her place, her brother, Eric Trump, and his wife, Lara Trump, stood in the position of favor beside the family's patriarch. Ivanka's relative distance from the center of the action makes it hard to ignore some of the red flags that have been present in her relationship with Donald all along. 

How could the daughter who was once Donald's right-hand advisor have seemingly drifted from her father's good graces? Part of the reason is a matter of choice: In November 2022, Ivanka responded to Donald's announcement that he would run for reelection with a statement of her own (via Rolling Stone): "While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena." Ivanka cited a desire to focus on her children and spouse as motivators for stepping away from politics, but there are other subtle signs that keeping her father at arm's length was an inevitable choice for the former White House staffer.

The Trump family has frequently used social media to show their support for their patriarch's presidential bid, such as when Kai Trump created an Election Day post featuring a photo of her golfing with her grandfather. Ivanka Trump also crafted some very noticeable social media posts right before Election Day, but they were missing one very crucial factor: any mention of Donald Trump. Even after being absent from Donald's entire campaign, it appears Ivanka still couldn't bring herself to offer some eleventh hour support. 

The Instagram version of Ivanka's post, which highlights life lessons she's learned at forty-three, includes a large photo collage of special moments in her life. These include Ivanka in her wedding dress, family photos, and a few very flattering modeling shots, but absolutely no trace of the rest of her famous family. Even her list of sixteen life lessons made no mention of politics, the election, or Donald. 

Based on the timing of this post, it appears Ivanka stayed true to her word and prioritized her personal life. Though it may have been tempting to jump back into the fray for Trump's 2024 campaign, Jared Kushner explained to The New York Times that his wife decision was final: "[Ivanka] made the decision when she left Washington that she was closing that chapter of her life. And she's been remarkably consistent." Ivanka seems to be thriving on the outskirts of the Trump circle, which may be a sign that life is more peaceful without maintaining such close ties to her father. 

During Donald Trump's first presidential run, Ivanka Trump was just as ever-present as her father, and that consistency prevailed throughout his term. However, despite all of the support and advice she gave him, it appears that Donald may have hung Ivanka out to dry after an embarrassing incident. While attending the G-20 summit during Donald's first term, Ivanka found herself subtly ostracized in a conversation with important world leaders. In a clip shared by the French government (via NBC News) Ivanka can be seen getting a frosty-silent response after trying to engage with their discussion. 

Donald appears to have remained mum on the situation instead of publicly defending his daughter, even as his would-be opponents criticized his decision to let Ivanka represent the nation. For example, Congressman Eric Swalwell said (via The Guardian): "This is your reminder that Ivanka Trump has no foreign policy or diplomacy experience. The American people deserve to be represented by a qualified diplomat, not the president's daughter." Donald didn't have Ivanka's back as she weathered this very public situation, which suggests she may not be able to count on him when the going gets tough.

As Donald Trump found himself facing multiple indictments after his first presidential term, his daughter-turned-advisor kept herself firmly out of his orbit. As a source shared with People in 2023, Ivanka Trump had no plans to help her father with his legal defense: "Donald does what he wants, and she can't help him now. His help is in the hands of his lawyers and advisers. She is no longer working in that capacity." 

Her desire to avoid this aspect of her father's life suggests that her departure from his political sphere had larger implications, which the source seems to point to: "[Ivanka] basically wants a new life to compensate for what she lost when she spent four years in her father's Washington." 

Although no details of an official rift between father and daughter came to light after his departure from the White House, this further attempt to distance herself from Donald makes it appear that Ivanka wants as little to do with him as possible. Unfortunately, Ivanka wasn't able to stay as far from Donald's legal quagmire as she may have hoped: in late 2023, she was called to testify in his civil fraud trial and did so against her own wishes. 

Although Donald Trump has often prided himself on being a family man, an early 2024 incident involving Ivanka Trump's son, Joseph Kushner, suggested that his grandson might not be a top priority. In a since-deleted post on X, formerly Twitter (via Newsweek), Donald greeted Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, at a UFC event. However, he completely ignored his young grandson's attempts to get his attention. The original poster captioned tweeted: "Trump blew off his own grandson while he was mugging with B-List celebrities and the kid was pretty bummed out. This is who he really is behind the fake show." 

This moment stands in stark contrast to his treatment of Lara and Eric Trump's children during his 2024 campaign, both of whom were even given the opportunity to join their grandfather on stage at a North Carolina rally. Ivanka was understandably miffed, and reportedly had to console her son after the incident. Since Ivanka's family took front-and-center after she stepped away from politics, it's likely Ivanka took this thoughtless snub to heart. 

Showering your children with love can help boost their self-esteem, but Donald Trump's version of expressing his adoration for Ivanka Trump is one of the biggest red flags in their relationship. Based on some of his past comments, his attraction to her may go far beyond the usual fatherly appreciation. For example, in a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone writer Paul Solotaroff, Donald responded to praise about Ivanka by saying: "Yeah, she's really something, and what a beauty, that one. If I weren't happily married and, ya know, her father ..." implying that he would be interested in a different sort of relationship with Ivanka if they weren't family. 

Unfortunately for Ivanka, this isn't the only time her father made such a cringe-worthy comment: in 2006, Donald appeared on an episode of "The View" and boldly stated (via X): "If Ivanka weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her." However, this early admission was even worse than his comments to Rolling Stone because Ivanka was right by his side at the time. In the clip, she can be seen trying to laugh off the comment while the show's co-hosts are all noticeably embarrassed. When it comes to humiliating family moments, this one is hard to beat. We can't imagine how Ivanka must have felt in that moment, or how it has impacted their relationship over the long term.