Ivanka Trump, senior advisor to the president, said that it's "unrealistic" to expect her to influence his decisions. That's not her job, OK?! (Even though it sort of is, actually?) In a series of interviews with The Financial Times, Ivanka opens up about her place in the White House — especially as a voice of dissent in her father's more controversial decisions.
For example, in the aftermath of the rallies in Charlottesville, Ivanka allegedly urged her father to take a stronger stand against the white supremacists, but he ultimately said in a press conference that “both sides” had been responsible for the violence, and that there were "very fine" people on both sides. The FT says that, at that point, Ivanka had to "tune out" by reading a book. Ivanka has reportedly also tried to influence her father in other decisions, such as not withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, to no avail.
Ivanka also spoke of what she believes are the "unrealistic expectations" many in the public have of her. “Some people have created unrealistic expectations of what they expect from me,” she argued. “That my presence in and of itself would carry so much weight with my father that he would abandon his core values and the agenda that the American people voted for when they elected him. It’s not going to happen. To those critics, shy of turning my father into a liberal, I’d be a failure to them.”
The piece goes on to explain that Ivanka is trying to have "laser focus" on the issues she thinks she can affect: the establishment of paid family leave, the promotion of women in science and entrepreneurship, and the creation of workforce apprenticeship programs.
“While sometimes my heart wants me to fully engage on any host of issues outside of my responsibility or expertise, I try really hard to stay in my lane and execute on the initiatives I came to DC to take on,” she said.
Ivanka also makes it clear that she will not be speaking out publicly about her father or this administration if/when she does disagree with their policy choices. “To voice dissent publicly would mean I’m not part of the team. When you’re part of a team, you’re part of a team,” she said. “That doesn’t mean everyone in the White House has homogeneous views – we don’t, and I think that’s good and healthy – but that doesn’t mean we’re publicly undermining [each other] and this administration.”
As far as her White House legacy is concerned, Ivanka takes a measured approach: “Whether my contribution ultimately lives up to the expectations of some of the harshest critics? Only time will tell,” she said. “But I will not be distracted by the noise.”
