Why Ivanka Trump Won’t Return For Donald Trump’s 2nd Presidency

Ivanka Trump will not be returning to the White House for her dad Donald Trump's second presidency. Ahead of her dad's inauguration ceremony on January 20th, the president-elect's eldest daughter revealed that she will not be going back to politics while on the podcast Him & Her Show. Where do I want to aim my attentions going forward? And there were professional goals, of course, but my primary goals were just to, like, be the best freaking mom I could be. You know, every time I had to miss something, I'm like, I will never let this happen again the minute I leave the White House. It's hard. Because the demand was so high when you were there. It's hard. And you, I mean, I did the best I could. And I think I was there for all the really critical moments. But, you know, you don't want to miss the small ones either, you know, and and so I learned through that process. And part of the reason, you know, the main reason I am not going back to serve now is I know the cost. And it's a price that I'm not willing to make my kids bear. Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, took on senior advisor roles during Trump's first presidency from 2017 to 2021. They share three kids, 13-year-old daughter Arabella, 10-year-old son Joseph and eight-year-old son Theodore. When looking back at her time in politics, Ivanka admits she loved the change she was able to make, but explains it was a negative business. Another element, though, for me, you know, I love policy and impact. I hate politics. And unfortunately, the two are not separable. You know, there is a darkness to that world that I don't really want to welcome into mine. To some degree, I'm, you know, at the center of the storm because my father is about to be president. But it's a very it's a very dark, negative business. And and some people love, like, the gladiator aspect of it. You know, the fight that that was never me. She also admitted she was a little bit untethered after her dad's first term. Going through four years, I had to completely separate from my life, including the city I grew up in, New York City, everything. It's this interesting sort of wall that you have to create. When you come out, suddenly you're, like, really untethered. And for me, it was a time of amazing introspection rather than, I think, the tendency to just, like, go back to what you know and reconnect old wires, you know, rejoin our family business or relaunch something I'd previously done or anything. I really took a lot of time to think about, OK, what have I learned in the last few years? What did I learn during that period of time? What am I most passionate about and what do I want this next chapter of my life to look like? So it's been it's really been a time of of prioritizing my curiosity and and and thinking forward while simultaneously just going super deep with my kids because I recognize they've always been my top priority. But my time in service was really it was really challenging to find a balance that worked well to parents serving in the West Wing. As for where Melania Trump sees herself living when she's first lady, she sat down for an interview with Fox News that aired on Fox and Friends on January 13th and revealed she will be splitting her time between Washington, D.C., Florida and New York. I will be in the White House. And, you know, when I need to be in New York, I will be in New York. When I need to be in Palm Beach, I will be in Palm Beach. But my my first priority is, you know, to be a mom, to be a first lady, to be a wife. And once we are in on January 20, it's you serve the country. She also commented for the first time on if her son, I think he will come and visit. Yes, he will bring his friends. Is it fun? Does he feel comfortable to bring whatever he would like to do? Yes. You know, I I feel that as a children, we have them till they are like 18, 19 years old. We teach them. We guide them. And then we give them the wings to fly. And I always respect Barons. Yes and no. And what he likes to do, where he would like to be. The 18-year-old is set to start his first year at New York University's Stern School of Business in the fall. A source told People in December that Barron will not be living on campus and will live at Trump Towers instead. And as far as her transition back into the White House, Melania told Fox it will be easier this time around. I know where I will be going. I know the rooms where we will be living. I know the process. The first time was challenging. We didn't have much of the information. The information was upheld for us from previous administration. But this time I have everything. I have the plans. I could move in. I already packed. I already selected the, you know, the furniture that needs to go in. So it's it's very different a transition this time, second time around. Will you decorate it exactly like it was before or are you making changes? A little bit of changes. Not much.