You can 'enjoy coffee with Ivanka Trump' for a hefty price tag


The president-elect's son, Eric Trump, is auctioning off an opportunity to "enjoy coffee with Ivanka Trump in NYC or D.C.," with the proceeds going to his foundation, which benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. But some observers and lawyers have raised concerns that the auction essentially allows people to earn access to the Trump administration in exchange for money, The New York Times reports.
"This is just wrong," said Fred Wertheimer, the president of Democracy 21, a nonprofit that tries to curb special interests' influences. "The president's family should not be out raising money for whatever cause, in exchange for a potential influence buyer who wants to get his views to the president." The concerns are magnified due to Ivanka Trump's impending role in the White House.
Currently, high bidders include a London-based investment manager hoping to learn more about Trump's future dealings in countries he invests in; the owner of a Houston-based Tex-Mex restaurant chain who wants to tell Trump, via his daughter, to go easy on restricting immigration; and a real estate executive and "fringe presidential candidate from Florida" who wants to talk about election fraud. Bids Friday morning were around $72,888.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
When the Times started asking questions for their article, though, Eric Trump said he was considering shutting down the auction. "We've done this every year," Trump said. "We utilized [auction website] Charitybuzz to raise significant funds. Every single year we've auctioned off a lunch with one of ourselves. It's nothing more than an effort to raise a lot of money in an effort to help sick children."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
August 31 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include FEMA's new scheme, Gavin Newsom's antics, and a clue in the Epstein files
-
Disarming Hezbollah: Lebanon's risky mission
Talking Point Iran-backed militia has brought 'nothing but war, division and misery', but rooting them out for good is a daunting and dangerous task
-
Woof! Britain's love affair with dogs
The Explainer The UK's canine population is booming. What does that mean for man's best friend?
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fine
Speed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in Intel
Speed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year