Body Language Expert Reveals The Truth About Ivanka Trump And Donald Trump's Relationship

Donald and Ivanka Trump are a very close daddy-daughter duo. Some people think that the POTUS' oldest daughter seems to be even more of a first lady than does her stepmom, Melania. While this might perhaps explain some of the rumored tension between the two women, All That's Interesting notes that there have been several prior presidents who also had a daughter or other female relative take over this role in lieu of an absentee spouse. (Melania, you may recall, decided to stay in New York City and not move into the White House, or even to D.C. at all, until June of 2017.) 

Before Ivanka's dad was elected to the country's highest office, she not only marketed her own lifestyle brand and authored several bestselling books, but she also played an important role in running the Trump Organization and even found time to make regular appearances on her dad's TV show The Apprentice in order to promote the larger Trump brand and her personal ventures. She was right by his side on the campaign trail, and in January of 2017, she and her hubby Jared Kushner both followed Trump to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to take on roles as a senior presidential advisors.

While it's obvious that Ivanka has always been one of her pop's biggest fan, we were curious to find out more about their relationship. Body language expert Dr. Reneé Carr, a psychologist and political and corporate advisor, analyzed several videos of Ivanka to look for some subtle clues as to her true feelings about her famous father and their relationship.

Carr points to a Time video of Donald and Ivanka Trump together at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Ivanka at this time "repeatedly refers to candidate Trump as 'my father.'" Carr notes that this is not an unexpected form of address, but that "the high frequency in which she states this fact that is a tell-tale sign that she leverages her father's name, positions, authority, or fame to open doors for her and possibly to control the actions of others." The fact that she's spent most of her adult life working for him in some capacity also backs up this assessment.

A CNN video of Ivanka's speech at the 2020 RNC shows something quite different. This time around, Ivanka, as she has done ever since Trump moved into the oval office, "repeated[ly] refers to him more as 'The President' rather than 'my father' or 'my children's grandfather,' even when referring to her father as 'grandfather' would have more sentimental [value]." Carr interprets this as providing further evidence that Ivanka "leverages her father's position to assert her own power and to gain advantages," although it's worth noting that at one point in her speech Ivanka does refer to the POTUS as "grandpa." She describes his off-camera persona in order to humanize him and further build his case as "the people's president," but also manages to slip in a mom-brag about the "greatest grandchildren on earth" with which she provided him.

Another clip that Carr analyzed is an ABC News video where Ivanka is seen defending some of her father's often-contentious comments by saying that he "speaks from the heart." Carr's takeaway from this footage is that "Ivanka is highly biased toward her father's actions and often excuses them," and that "she is more likely to blame others for her father's comments or actions rather than say anything negative against her father." Carr also noted how Ivanka looks to be  "offended when others insult her father," noting the fact that she "close[s] her eyes as a subconscious act of not wanting to see anything less than perfect about her dad."

One final observation that Carr provided regarding Ivanka's true feelings about her father comes from a Time video dating from back in 2017. This footage seemed to reveal that when Ivanka "really wants something, she will choose to call him 'daddy' rather than her usual 'dad' during their first-person conversations." Carr explains this dynamic by saying that, while "Ivanka is aware of the love and fondness her father has for her, she is also an intelligent and ambitious young woman. As such, she knows how to get what she wants from her father; and Trump is pleased to knowingly oblige her." So yes, Ivanka's heart belongs to Daddy — but she also knows how to leverage this to her own advantage.