IVANKA’S TRIUMPH
The first daughter has the typical good looks of all the Trump women, but she’s tough and smart too, writes
KISS MY AIR: Donald Trump embraces Ivanka during an election night event
THERE are plenty of riffs on the “behind every great man” adage: behind every great man is a greater woman; behind every great man is a surprised woman; behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.
Most of these could probably be applied to Donald Trump, although his greatness has yet to be proven. Because whatever you think of The Donald — there’s a lot to be said for his women.
Google “Trump’s women” and you flinch. But I’m not talking about the 10 or so women who recently accused the president-elect of sexual misconduct (there’s so much wrong with that sentence).
I’m talking about those who stood alongside him on that stage in New York in the early hours of Wednesday morning, oozing pride, and one in particular: Ivanka.
Because however steely and unwavering 46-year-old Melania has proved herself to be on the campaign trail (and you can be sure that she will instantly be taken into the fold by both the fashion and celebrity world, with copies of every garment she wears flying off the shelves, starting with Wednesday’s crepe white Ralph Lauren jumpsuit), and however confident and articulate his 23-year-old daughter Tiffany appeared when she spoke to thousands of people at the Republican national convention, Ivanka is in a different league.
Forget, for a moment, how this 35-year-old mother-ofthree looks. Every woman in Trump’s extended modern family is either straight off the catwalk or looks like they’re about to walk one, and when I interviewed the executive vice-president of development and acquisition at the Trump Organisation four years ago, I couldn’t help but notice the figure, the cheekbones and that finely milled skin that only the super-rich have.
But her intelligence and her cool were far more striking. She had good, solid opinions on everything from parenting (“you have to be a good disciplinarian because it’s for their own benefit, but also be careful of competitive parenting”) to feminism (“the key thing to teach a girl early on is confidence . . . then that will thwart a lot of issues”) and professionalism (“personally, I choose not to utilise my sexuality in the boardroom be- cause I think a lot more harm can come of it than good. Overt sexuality is not good but femininity is great”).
And the woman who once said “I’m not a clone — I’m not a minion” is known to have her father’s ear, so we can expect Ivanka to have a good, moderating influence backstage on issues such as education, childcare and equal pay, making this first daughter Trump’s perfect foil.
“This political stuff is nasty, and it is tough,” the presidentelect told his family in his victory speech — in what sounded like both an apology and a warning.
But toughness seems to run in the genes and along with her stepmother and stepsister, I’m pretty sure Ivanka can take it. After all, she’s not just a mother, executive VP and soon-to-be-published author (she’s writing a book, Women Who Work) with her own successful fashion brand, but an Olympic standard heat-deflector. A talent she’s been forced to hone over many years.
So when Saturday Night Live reimagined Beyoncé’s revenge hit Sorry from the point of view of the women in Trump’s life, it seemed right that alongside Melania and Tiffany, Ivanka should be chanting: “Without us you wouldn’t be standing there. You’d just be that guy with the weird hair.” WHITE HOUSE STYLE: Ivanka, last year
We can expect Ivanka to have a good, moderating influence backstage