Ivanka reportedly used Steven Mnuchin to borrow Air Force planes, and Stephen Colbert feels for him
The newest splashy book taking an inside look at President Trump's White House focuses on his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, both top White House advisers. "It's called Kushner Inc. — Inc., of course, standing for incompetent," Stephen Colbert quipped on Wednesday's Late Show. And if you're wondering what Ivanka and Jared do with their days, well, a lot of them are spent on the road, and they reportedly like to travel in taxpayer-funded style.
According to the book, "Jared and Ivanka wanted to use all the privileges of the White House, but ran up against restrictions on using Air Force planes," Colbert said. Author Vicky Ward writes that Ivanka "often requested to travel on Air Force planes when it was not appropriate. When Rex W. Tillerson, the former secretary of state, would deny the requests, the couple would invite along a Cabinet secretary, often Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, to get access to a plane." Colbert grimaced. "Oh, I feel for Mnuchin here. He's like that weird kid you befriend just because he has a pool." He acted that out.
Ward also reported that Trump ordered Chief of Staff John Kelly to fire Jared and Ivanka and "get them back to New York" — "To which everyone in New York said, 'Quick, turn off the lights and pretend we're not home!'" Colbert joked — and that Ivanka insisted to economic adviser Gary Cohn after her father refused to condemn white supremacists in Charlottesville that "my dad's not a racist; he didn't mean any of it," and "that's not what he said." That sounded familiar to Colbert: "Wow, she's flat-out denying her father said the thing her father said on tape. I guess the Tim Apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Watch below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to 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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Swiss bliss: Chenot Palace Weggis takes wellness to the next level
The Blend Heath retreat on Switzerland's Lake Lucerne offers a mid-winter reset
By Felix Bischof Published
-
Earth's mini-moon was the moon all along
Under the radar More lunar rocks are likely floating in space
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: February 4, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91
Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published