Ivanka Trump reportedly 'blindsided' by her father's stance on transgender military service

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were "blindsided" by President Trump's tweet last week about banning transgender people from serving in the military, several White House aides told Politico Sunday.

The aides said Ivanka Trump learned about Trump's decision the same way nearly everyone else did — when he posted it on Twitter — and she was surprised because he has supported gay rights in the past. While disappointed, she is now focused on getting a child care tax credit passed as part of tax reform and having paid family leave part of the budget, and is reading Eleanor Roosevelt's biography for "guidance and inspiration," Politico reports.

Ivanka Trump is said to be trying to lower expectations of what she can convince her father to do — or not do — but that's not enough to please some people, including a "well-known socialite" who was once friendly with her. "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," the socialite told Politico. "They were accepted despite their parents. Now, there's no separating the two."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up