Melania Trump may not be moving to the White House, but that doesn’t mean the entire Trump family is shying away from the nation’s capitol. Donald’s daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, New York Observer publisher Jared Kushner, are reportedly scouting real estate to officially move their home base from New York City to Washington D.C.
This news follows Kushner’s behind-the-scenes role of “de facto campaign manager” for the Trump campaign while a revolving door of people occupied the position in name. He’s currently acting as an adviser within the transition team, and is said to be consulting with attorneys over whether he can accept an unpaid role in Trump’s White House. Nepotism laws may prevent this goal, but CNN reports that the D.C. move is happening:
The couple’s planned move with their three children reflects the expectation that Kushner will serve as an adviser to President-elect Donald Trump in some capacity, though the precise role — potentially complicated by nepotism laws — remains to be seen.
“I think Jared Kushner, obviously [Trump’s] son-in-law is going to be very involved in decision-making,” White House chief of staff Reince Priebus said on NBC’s “Today” show the week after the election. Kushner was also present with Trump when he first visited the White House after his victory, and was seen walking through the White House grounds and talking with current White House chief of staff Denis McDonough.
Donald and Kushner enjoy a tight bond with the son-in-law carrying much influence with the president-elect. In fact, when the Trump campaign gazed into the future of a potential election loss, Kushner was reportedly steering Donald to seriously consider launching Trump TV. Whether or not Kushner adopts an official role in D.C., he’s sure to be working behind the scenes, and this move only acts as further evidence of that intent.
Meanwhile, Ivanka met with none other than Al Gore at Trump Tower on Monday afternoon, per TIME‘s Zeke Miller (who spoke with Trump Communications Adviser Jason Miller).
Ivanka Trump will be meeting with Al Gore today to discuss climate issues at Trump Tower per @JasonMillerinDC
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) December 5, 2016
Donald was not scheduled to attend the meeting, but the two men did touch base. Gore says they searched for “common ground” on climate change.
Al Gore characterized his meeting with Donald Trump as "a sincere search for areas of common ground"
— Arlette Saenz (@ArletteSaenz) December 5, 2016
(Via CNN, New Yorker & NPR)