Ivanka Trump Reportedly Now Realizes That She And Jared Have Little Influence On Trump And His Policies

Getty Image

One of the biggest stories of the beginning of the Trump administration was his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner skirting nepotism rules to become official advisors. Ivanka taking her father’s seat during a meeting at the G20 Summit was probably the clearest signal that Ivanka was part of her father’s presidency, and pro-Trump media did its part painting a picture of Ivanka’s ability to counsel President Trump and steer him toward more socially liberal policy. Well, that’s all over now.

According to Politico, Ivanka Trump and Kushner are desperately trying to lower expectations for what policies they can get President Trump to support. While the married power players have had some influence on personnel decisions (both approved of Trump hiring Anthony Scaramucci and both wanted Reince Priebus ousted), their policy influence has decreased as Trump begins to favor the social and fiscal conservatives in his circle. Case in point, the President’s tweets about kicking transgender people out of the military:

Last week they were blindsided by the president’s tweet saying he planned to ban transgender people from serving in the military, according to several White House aides, a major coup for conservatives who had been quietly lobbying the administration on the issue for months.

White House officials said the first daughter was surprised by her father’s posts; in the past, Trump has been a supporter of gay rights. Ivanka Trump, according to these officials, learned of the decision when she saw her father’s tweet on her phone.

According to sources close to her, Ivanka now wants to be judged only on the victories she sees in areas she is actively working on — like child care tax credits and paid family leave being included in the next budget. Moreover, Ivanka, who accepted a position in the administration, doesn’t want to be seen as a “super-lib” or lose her credibility with Republicans, by publicly disagreeing with the administration’s actions.

Perhaps worst of all for Ivanka and Jared, they’re not only losing influence and respect in Washington, but in New York City, as well:

One well-known socialite who was friendly with Ivanka Trump put it bluntly: “Everyone knew that Jared’s father was a felon and her father was a buffoon, but you looked past that because they stood on their own two feet and were sophisticated and presentable. They were accepted despite their parents. Now, there’s no separating the two.”

Once you’ve lost the ladies who lunch, there’s no going back.

(Via Politico)

×