Ivanka Trump is a White House player
Ivanka Trump doesn’t hold an official position in her father’s administration, but you wouldn’t know it from the visuals coming out of the Trump White House.
The first daughter is regularly seen sitting in on President Trump’s meetings, greeting foreign dignitaries, sitting in on news conferences and, per White House press secretary Sean Spicer, dispensing expertise in policy areas she’s familiar with.
On the face of it, there’s nothing wrong with that. Presidents often rely on trusted family members for counsel and advice. James Buchanan was a bachelor whose niece, Harriet Lane, took on a lot of the duties normally given to first ladies. Gerald Ford’s daughter, Susan, took on a lot of responsibilities after her mother had a mastectomy. And Hillary Clinton is perhaps the most notable example of a presidential family member formally taking on concrete policy issues.
Presidential family members aren’t just a sounding board; they can also serve as very effective advocates for a president’ policy platforms, potentially connecting with groups of voters the president himself is having trouble reaching.
But Ivanka Trump’s proximity to her father’s administration has presented problems. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway was “counseled” after overtly promoting Ivanka Trump-branded jewelry on television. And while Ivanka Trump has reportedly divested her common stock, she still receives fixed payments from the Trump Organization and clearly has an interest in its continued success.
It’s hard to say exactly how much sway Ivanka Trump has over her father. She’s thought to be one of his closest advisers, along with her husband, Jared Kushner, who does have an official position in the administration. The two of them are in a position to influence policy (and appear to want to use it), and wield an enormous amount of power in a different kind of currency: access to Trump himself.
She is clearly an effective surrogate for the president. She’s likable and popular, and despite a few hiccups around her branded products, she’s been an effective conduit for his policies. As long as she’s a positive public relations presence, who can help sell her dad’s policies to the American people, we’re likely to continue seeing a lot of Ivanka Trump around the White House.