About

Ivanka Trump is an American businesswoman and, currently, White House special counsel to her father, United States President Donald Trump. Throughout her career, Trump has been a model, TV personality, the CEO of a fashion line and the executive vice president of the Trump Organization.

History

Ivanka Trump was born to Donald Trump and his then-wife Ivana on October 29th, 1981, their second child together. Raised in New York City, Ivanka finished high school at boarding school in Connecticut. Ivanka graduated cum laude from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania in 2004.^[3]

At age 14, Ivanka began modeling, appearing in an ad campaign for designer Tommy Hilfiger (shown below, left and center).^[1] Additionally, she appeared on the cover of teen fashion magazine Seventeen (shown below, right).^[2] In 1997, she hosted the Miss Teen USA Contest.

Business History

Following college, in 2007, Ivanka founded Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry in a partnership with Dynamic Diamond Corp. Over the next ten years, closed its flagship stores. It currently has a shop in Trump Tower, but is sold throughout the world.

Ivanka is the owner of a line of fashion items, including clothes, handbags and accessories. However, in February 2017, many retailers stopped selling Ivanka branded material, citing low sales.^[5] The problem escalated after a television interview with Kellyanne Conway who controversially encouraged people to buy Ivanka products, a potential ethics violation.^[6]

The Apprentice

Starting in 2006, Ivanka Trump began a series of guest-star appearances on her father's reality television series The Apprentice. By season six, she became the primary boardroom judge and carried that role over to the series' spin-off Celebrity Apprentice.

Andy Dick Groping Video

On July 4th, 2018, The Daily Mail^[13] uncovered a video of Ivanka Trump appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live alongside comedian Andy Dick in 2007. In the video, Dick continues to touch Ivanka Trump despite Kimmel attempting to stop him, leading to Kimmel summoning security, who then escort Dick off the premises (shown below). Kimmel told Extra that before touching her, Dick had asked for a "big, wet kiss." The video surfaced days after Dick was charged with sexual batter after groping a woman in Los Angeles.

Reputation

Upon entering the White House, many thought of Ivanka and her husband Jared as the "voice of reason" in the Trump administration, based on her left-leaning stances on Climate Change and women's rights.^[4] Following President Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Accord, Ivanka appeared on the cover of US Weekly with the headline "Why I Disagree With My Dad."

However, the phrase quickly became a catchphrase on Twitter, responding to Ivanka's lack of action when it came to her father's political decision. Twitter users began posting pictures of fictional children who had disputes with their fathers under the caption “Why I Disagree With My Dad” (examples below).

Criticism

Despite her reputation as a liberal or moderate voice in the Trump White House, many have criticized Trump for not acting on those principles. On March 12th, 2017, the weekly comedy series Saturday Night Live parodied this sentiment in the commercial parody video "Complicit." In the video (shown below), actress Scarlett Johansson plays Trump in a perfume advertisment for a fragerance called "Complicit." The ad uses political critiques as selling points for the product. Within four months, the video has been viewed more than 8 millions times.

Use of Private Email Account

On November 19th, 2018, the Washington Post^[14] reported that Ivanka Trump had used a personal email account to conduct official White House business in 2017, contacting "White House aides, cabinate officials and her assistants." The report states:

"White House ethics officials learned of Trump’s repeated use of personal email when reviewing emails gathered last fall by five Cabinet agencies to respond to a public records lawsuit. That review revealed that throughout much of 2017, she often discussed or relayed official White House business using a private email account with a domain that she shares with her husband, Jared Kushner."

Many found this behavior hypocritical, pointing that the Republican party, as well as Ivanka's father, President Trump, had been critical of political opponent former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server for official White House business. Twitter^[15] user @andylassner tweeted, "The House of Representatives must investigate @IvankaTrump’s emails ASAP. This is a national emergency. I’m worried sick about what classified information may have been intercepted. Was she running a sex ring in a pizza shop? America needs answers." The tweet received more than 3,900 retweets and 18,000 likes in 24 hours (shown below, left).

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich tweeted,^[16] "Members of the Trump administration who have used personal email to conduct official business: 1) Ivanka Trump 2) Jared Kushner 3) Steve Bannon 4) Stephen Miller 5) Reince Priebus 6) Gary Cohn The shameless hypocrisy of these people never ceases to amaze me." The tweet received more than 30,000 retweets and 85,000 likes in 24 hours (shown below, center).

Twitter^[17] user @MattOswaltVA tweeted, "waiting to see how serious this Ivanka email scandal is by the number of troops Trump sends to the Mexican border tomorrow." The tweet received more than 1,300 retweets and 14,000 likes in 24 hours (shown below, right).

Personal Life

In 2005, Ivanka began dating Jared Kushner, a New York real estate developer. In 2009, the two married in a Jewish ceremony, after she converted to Judaism. Together, they have two sons and a daughter.

Related Memes

Thirsty Ivanka Trump

Thirsty Ivanka Trump refers to a series of photographs in which Ivanka Trump appears to be staring longingly at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Jesse Watters' Microphone Joke Controversy

Jesse Watters’ Microphone Joke Controversy refers to the online backlash toward a joke uttered by Fox News co-host Jesse Watters, who made a quip about the way Ivanka Trump was speaking into a microphone in late April 2017. While many interpreted the comment as sexual innuendo, Watters claimed he was joking that she seemed like a radio DJ.

The Trumps Meet Pope Francis

The Trumps Meet Pope Francis refers to an image of Pope Francis looking miserable standing next to president Donald Trump and his family. The Pope’s expression prompted jokes on Twitter the day of the photograph’s publication.

Marco Rubio Hugs Ivanka Trump

Marco Rubio Hugs Ivanka Trump refers to an photograph of Republican Senator Marco Rubio hugging the daughter of President Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump. The photograph was mocked for the way it appeared that Ivanka did not reciprocate Rubio’s eager hug.

Ivanka Trump Sex Playlist Theory

On October 25th, 2017, Ashley Feinberg writing for the Huffington Post^[7] humorously proposed that a playlist from Ivanka Trump's Spotify account titled "991122"^[8] may be the playlist that her and Jared Kushner listen to while having sex. The playlist features "All of Me" and "Ordinary People" by John Legend, "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars, "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt, and "When We Were Young" by Adele.

For evidence, Feinberg notes that the playlist is Trump's first since 2015 and also is the only one with a cryptic title, as others have obvious, themed titles such as "Holiday Party" and "Weekend Morning."^[9] Furthermore, Feinberg notes that the playlist was made ten days before Trump and Kushner's anniversary.

The article led to several other media outlets writing similar articles, including Daily Dot,^[10] Complex,^[11] Bustle,^[12] and more.

Search Interest

External References