Ivanka Trump skips her father's 2024 campaign launch despite reported pleading from Trump


Former President Donald Trump officially launched his 2024 presidential comeback bid on Wednesday before a crowd of about 1,000 guests at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, but only two of his children — Eric and Barron — attended the event, the New York Post reports. Daughter Tiffany is presumably on her honeymoon, having gotten married at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend, while Don Jr. "was unable to make it back from a hunting trip out West in time for the spectacle due to his scheduled flight being scrapped."
Ivanka Trump, a presidential adviser during Trump's four years in the White House, issued a statement before the speech saying she's done with politics. "While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena," she said on Instagram. "This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family," she added. "I do not plan to be involved in politics."
Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, also a senior adviser in Trump's White House, moved to Miami after Trump lost his reelection bid. "We will continue to support my father — as his kids," Ivanka said.
Ivanka's absence Tuesday night is notable because "Trump spent part of daughter Tiffany's lavish Mar-a-Lago wedding" over the weekend "begging" Ivanka and Jared "to be with him on stage when he announces his third consecutive run for the presidency," the Post reported Monday, citing sources.
"Trump thought he could convince Ivanka this weekend to come back and campaign for him ... but so far she's resisting his entreaties and holding firm, as is Jared," one insider told the Post. "They both feel they got burned in Washington and don't want to go back and expose themselves and their children to another bitter campaign." The couple's resistance to Trump's pleading created "extra behind-the-scenes tension" at the wedding, the source added.
If Trump couldn't "persuade Jared and Ivanka to present a united Trump family front to the watching world," the Post reported, he was likely to give his speech alone on the stage. And he did. But while Ivanka skipped the campaign launch, "Kushner and Kimberly Guilfoyle attended to show their support," Fox News reports. Don Jr., Eric, and Eric's wife, Lara Trump, are said to be all-in on Trump's third presidential run.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified files
Speed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DC
Speed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
Courts deal setbacks to Trump’s Chicago operations
Speed Read President Donald Trump cannot deploy the National Guard in Illinois
-
‘The illusion of wealth can encourage people to take on more debt’
instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rules
Speed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Act
speed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in Venezuela
Speed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
Are inflatable costumes and naked bike rides helping or hurting ICE protests?
Talking Points Trump administration efforts to portray Portland and Chicago as dystopian war zones have been met with dancing frogs, bare butts and a growing movement to mock MAGA doomsaying