Ivanka Trump, Melania TrumpIvanka Trump has previously insisted that she – along with her brothers – will run her father Donald Trump’s business in a blind trust as he takes on the duties of the presidency come January.
However, many believe the businesswoman aims to take on much more than the responsibility of the company. Last month a handout photo revealed Ivanka sitting in on a meeting of her father’s with Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe.
She was also present for her father’s call with the Argentine President Mauricio Macri and she organized meetings with Trump and environmental activists Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio.
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And now the Santa Monica Observer is reporting that Ivanka will in fact take on the duties of the First Lady. That doesn’t come as much of a surprise seeing as she has been more outspoken through Trump’s campaign than Melania.
Of course, when Melania did make an effort with the campaign she was widely mocked, such as with her speech at the Republican National Convention. She was criticized for similarities between portions of her speech and one made by Michelle Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
And Trump’s third wife, who became a U.S. Citizen in 2006, has also been criticized for her model past, having posed nude for British GQ. This comes in stark contrast to Ivanka’s sterling reputation and demure appearance.
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Trump has also confirmed that Melania won’t be joining him at the White House, instead staying in New York with their 10-year-old son Barron so as not to take him out of his Manhattan prep school. Ivanka, meanwhile, was reportedly seen house hunting with husband Jared Kushner in Washington, D.C., per The Washington Post.
If Ivanka does step into the First Lady role, she will not be the first to have done so while not being married to the president. Martha Jefferson stood in for her mother, who had passed away. Grover Cleveland’s sister Rose held the position until he married and 17-year-old Susan Ford temporarily stepped in for her mother during President Gerald Ford’s first diplomatic reception since she was recovering from a mastectomy.
So while many are crying nepotism, Ivanka taking over the role wouldn’t exactly be unheard of. And Katherine Jellison told the Santa Monica Observer to expect for molds to be broken, especially regarding “redefining of a role that, after all, isn’t in the Constitution.”
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And Trump’s team certainly doesn’t find any issue with it. During an interview with NPR’s “The Diane Rehm Show,” Newt Gingrich suggested anti-nepotism laws – put into place following President John F. Kennedy’s appointment of his brother Bobby Kennedy to attorney general – shouldn’t apply to Trump.
“In the case of the president, he has a broad ability to organize the White House the way he wants to,” Gingrich said, adding that the original law was “a very narrowly focused bill really in reaction to a particular personality thing.” He believes “looking at the context” is important in regards to Trump.
Trump’s senior advisor and former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway added that the U.S. would “benefit tremendously” from Ivanka and her husband’s involvement in the presidency, as shared by The Washington Post.
So while whether her involvement in the presidency is ethical or not remains to be seen, one thing seems to be for certain: We will be seeing a lot more of Ivanka in the years to come.
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