Who says women can’t have it all? You can — at least, if your last name is Trump.
Over her father’s first year in office, the “first daughter” has gone from businesswoman to adviser to surrogate first lady and even diplomat. Now, as she appears to be taking over for the departing secretary of state, is it time for Ivanka to slow down?
From the moment he was sworn in, President Donald Trump put his eldest daughter Ivanka in an awkward — and potentially illegal — position in the White House. As an unpaid senior advisor, she has skirted potential nepotism charges — after all, it’s not really hiring your family if they don’t take a salary, right? And if White House staffers happened to pitch Ivanka’s products while they did media interviews, well, it’s only a small conflict of interest and violation of the emoluments clause.
But while husband Jared Kushner’s unpaid presidential “advising” moved out of the limelight — especially after the Trump son-in-law lost his security clearance — Ivanka appears to be taking on more work every day. The administration claims that she was instrumental in getting the Trump big business handout known as tax reform passed — with a boost in the child tax credit payments in the final bill. Plus, she is allegedly still pushing for paid family leave as a federal policy, although her plan appears to have parents cash in on their social security payments early and work longer down the road.
Ivanka the policy wonk isn’t much different from any other GOP think tank expert. In fact, she’s mostly just putting a more palatable face on proposals that will ultimately do little to support the poor, the working class or anyone but business owners and the independently wealthy. What’s alarming is how much her role of “unofficial diplomat” is expanding — especially in this chaotic and turmoil-filled White House.
What began with a highly unusual one-off moment of Ivanka sitting in for her father at a table full of world leaders during a G20 summit has now become an almost commonplace occurrence as she broadens her “unofficial” role in the administration. In visits with leaders in India, South Korea and even Canada, Ivanka is being dubbed as the “most powerful woman in America.”
Now leaders are wooing her as a way to get to her father — and that’s precisely why Ivanka’s position has become so very dangerous.
Having an inexperienced, politically uninformed person acting as the “chief diplomat” — especially for an administration already led by an inexperienced, politically uninformed commander-in-chief — is simply an open opportunity for foreign players to take advantage of the United States.
And it’s perhaps equally harmful for the US to have a diplomat with no oversight or higher power to answer to. Ivanka is able to turn her position as an administration member on and off at whim — at one moment being a presidential representative, and the next refusing to answer questions about her father.
Unfortunately, as the White House continues to turn over staff faster than a diner flips burgers, Ivanka’s responsibilities continue to grow — now even taking on the role of interim secretary of state after Rex Tillerson’s ousting. KBS World Radio reports:
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will meet with US President Donald Trump’s daughter during her visit to the US There’s speculation the two will exchange opinions regarding the forthcoming summits between the two Koreas and between the US and the North. According to Noh, during her three-day visit to Washington from Thursday, Kang will also meet with US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, who is serving as the acting secretary following the dismissal of Rex Tillerson, to discuss pending issues between Seoul and Washington, including the North Korean nuclear issue.
Yes, we have now hit the point in the Trump presidency when Ivanka Trump is helping to negotiate nuclear treaties. Maybe she can have it all — at the expense of the American people.
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