Suspicious absences, hurtful snubs, and cringe-worthy comments. Ivanka Trump may have once been a constant presence in her father's life, but their relationship is nothing like what it once was.
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00:00Suspicious absences, hurtful snubs, and cringeworthy comments. Ivanka Trump may have once been
00:06a constant presence in her father's life, but their relationship is nothing like what
00:10it once was. During Donald Trump's first term as president, Ivanka was one of his advisers.
00:16But when Trump announced in November 2022 that he was running for re-election, his eldest
00:20daughter was suspiciously absent. She later released a statement that said,
00:25While I will always love and support my father,
00:27going forward I will do so outside the political arena."
00:30Ivanka cited a desire to focus on her children and spouse as motivators for
00:35stepping away from politics. However, there are other subtle signs that keeping her father
00:40at arm's length was an inevitable choice for the former White House staffer.
00:43For one, her social media accounts were free of campaign messaging throughout the 2024
00:48presidential campaign. Ivanka did craft some very noticeable posts right before Election Day,
00:53but they were missing any mention of her father. For instance, in an Instagram post
00:57on the eve of the election, Ivanka highlights life lessons that she's learned at 43.
01:01The post includes a large photo collage of special moments in her life, but absolutely
01:06no trace of the rest of her famous family. Even her list of 16 life lessons made no
01:11mention of the election or Donald. Based on the timing of this post,
01:15it appears Ivanka stayed true to her word and prioritized her personal life.
01:19Though it may have been tempting to jump back into the fray for Trump's 2024 campaign,
01:23Jared Kushner explained to The New York Times that his wife's decision was final, saying,
01:28"[Ivanka made the decision when she left Washington that
01:30she was closing that chapter of her life, and she's been remarkably consistent.]
01:34"'There's a lot of darkness, a lot of negativity,
01:38and it's just really at odds with what feels good for me.'"
01:43Back during Donald Trump's first presidential run, though, Ivanka was just as ever-present
01:47as her father, and that consistency continued throughout his term. Despite all of the support
01:52and advice she gave him, it appears that Donald may have hung Ivanka out to dry after an embarrassing
01:56incident. While attending the G20 summit in 2019, Ivanka found herself ostracized during a
02:02conversation with important world leaders. In a clip shared by the French government,
02:05Ivanka can be seen getting a silent response after trying to engage with their discussion.
02:10Opponents of the then-president were quick to criticize his decision to let Ivanka represent
02:14the nation. However, Donald didn't have Ivanka's back as she weathered this very public situation.
02:20This suggests she may not be able to count on him when the going gets tough.
02:24After his first term ended, Donald found himself facing multiple indictments,
02:28and his daughter-turned-advisor kept herself firmly out of his orbit.
02:32As a source shared with People in 2023, Ivanka had no plans to help her father with his legal
02:37defense. Her desire to avoid this aspect of her father's life suggests that her departure from
02:42his political sphere had larger implications. The source told People,
02:46"...Ivanka basically wants a new life to compensate for what she lost when she
02:50spent four years in her father's Washington."
02:52Unfortunately, Ivanka wasn't able to stay as far from Donald's legal quagmire as she may have
02:57hoped. In late 2023, she was called to testify in his civil fraud trial and did so against her
03:03wishes. Speaking of things Ivanka may not have wanted, an early 2024 incident involving her son,
03:09Joseph Kushner, suggested that Donald may not have been making his grandson a top priority.
03:14In a since-deleted post on Ex, Donald greeted Ivanka and her husband at a UFC event but
03:19completely ignored his young grandson's attempts to get his attention. Ivanka was
03:23understandably miffed and reportedly had to console her son after the incident.
03:27Since Ivanka's family took front and center after she stepped away from politics,
03:31it's likely Ivanka took this thoughtless snub to heart.
03:34That's definitely not the only time Donald has done or said something weird around Ivanka,
03:38though. His version of expressing his affection for Ivanka is pretty uncomfortable. Based on some
03:43of his past comments, his attraction to her may go far beyond the usual fatherly appreciation.
03:49For example, in a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, Donald implied that he would be interested
03:54in a different sort of relationship with Ivanka if they weren't family. Unfortunately for Ivanka,
03:59this isn't the only time her father made such a cringe-worthy comment. In 2006,
04:03Donald appeared on an episode of The View and said,
04:06"...said that if Ivanka weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her."
04:11When it comes to humiliating family moments, this one is hard to beat.