Little Known Facts About These Political Family Members

Politics today in the United States of America are many things: entertaining, interesting, scary, toxic, unbelievable — the list goes on. And while many policies themselves are (sort of) interesting to keep up with, a number of politicians have become celebrities in their own right. Whether it's politicians-turned-celebrities running for office, or vice versa, the drama of politics can be more intriguing than your favorite soap opera — and sometimes less believable.

In this nation of excess, knowing every detail of the lives of our not-so-humble public servants isn't enough; we apparently need to know about their family members. While some of them are just in the spotlight by proxy, many have forged their own paths and leveraged their names and connections for one reason or another.

Though we couldn't possibly know everything there is to know about those individuals who are related to high-profile politicians, there are plenty of interesting morsels circulating. And so, we listed them here as our own form of public service. Let's dig into some of the little-known facts about political family members.

In 2021 when Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first female vice president of the United States, her stepdaughter Ella Emhoff was in attendance at the inauguration. Ella, whose father is Harris' husband, David Emhoff, stole the show with her striking style, particularly her Miu Miu coat and Batsheva dress. Ella's style catapulted her into fashion icon status, a title officially bestowed upon her by Harper's Bazaar in 2022, and the vice president's daughter parlayed the buzz into a modeling career, soon walking for designers like Proenza. Though modeling wasn't always in her plan, Ella has long hoped for a career in fashion. "For a really long time when I was younger, I wanted to be a designer," she told Proenza Schouler designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez at NYFW, per ET Canada.

But Ella doesn't want to be the only woman in a creative position of power. Ella is an advocate for all women creatives, proving her dedication by joining the 3 Percent Movement, which has a goal of increasing the number of female creative directors. And as for her status as a fashion icon, Ella said to People, "It's kind of shocking. This is an incredible honor and as someone who doesn't really think of herself like that it's nice reassurance. And makes me check myself and the way I perceive myself, so exciting."

Throughout the world, being bilingual isn't really that uncommon. Nearly half the world's population can speak more than one language, per Preply. However, in the United States, it's much rarer, with only about 20 percent of the population able to speak more than one language. But when your father is a billionaire, and your mother speaks more than one language, it is not a huge surprise that you're bilingual, too, which is the case for former President Donald Trump's son Barron Trump. The youngest of Donald's children, Barron's mother is model and former first lady Melania Trump, who was born in Slovenia.

Melania shared with People that she and her husband were raising their son to speak more than one language, often having Barron call his grandmother in Slovenia to practice. "My opinion is that more languages you speak, better it is," though she did add, "When you come to America, you speak English." Melania also added that she and Donald were also trying to expose their son to different activities per his interests. "He wants to be a golfer, a businessman, a pilot. It's that age when you introduce him to stuff," she said.

When you are the child of a president, the public has lots of questions about your personal life, but also your politics, particularly your political affiliation. This fascination is heightened by having two former presidents in your life, which is the case for Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush, daughters of former United States President George W. Bush and granddaughters of former United States President George H.W. Bush. Though the twins are famously part of a Republican family, both have noted to People that they are not affiliated with either major political party in the United States. As Barbara said, "I don't really label myself as Republican or Democrat"; Jenna added, "We're both very independent thinkers."

Perhaps the sisters take after their great-grandmother, former first lady Barbara Bush. On a 2020 episode of "Watch What Happens Live," Jenna told host Andy Cohen, "My grandmother Barbara, I think, was kind of misunderstood." Jenna went on to say, "She was actually kind of modern ... She changed her views even in her nineties," adding that her grandmother had changed her opinion on transgender rights later in life. "If a 90-year-old woman can sit with an open heart and listen and change her views about anything, we all could do a little bit better of a job," Jenna said.

Being someone's muse is a high honor, especially if it can inspire an iconic piece of art from the early 2000s. As we all know, the early aughts were a different time, rife with some of the best romantic comedies known to man. It also gifted us with some epic leading ladies, like Mandy Moore, and when those leading ladies, such as Moore, were cast to star in a romantic comedy, it was pure magic. And that's exactly what happened in 2004 when Moore starred in "Chasing Liberty," a story about the president's daughter who sheds her security detail to date in hopes of falling in love. But if there's anything cooler than starring in a romantic comedy, it's inspiring one.

Per SFGate, "Chasing Liberty" was very loosely based on none other than Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former United States President Bill Clinton. Despite having inspired the film, Chelsea, who lived in the White House from age 12 to 20, says she was a well-behaved resident. "Thankfully nothing that dramatic ever happened to me," Chelsea said on the "People Every Day" podcast. "I used to be asked all the time, 'Did you ever run away?' No, I never ran away. ... I wasn't going to stress out my parents like that. Just never even occurred to me," she added. Suffice to say, "Chasing Liberty" took more than a few creative liberties.

Before there were the Bushes and the Clintons, there were the Kennedys. One could argue no political family in American history has been as influential in pop culture as this one, and their legacy has continued well into the 21st century, with descendants who don't bear the surname making history in their own right, like Maria Shriver, niece of former United States President John F. Kennedy. The journalist is known for her marriage to former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as her work with the Alzheimer's Association. Shriver also has four children, three of whom are also in the public eye.

Following in his father's creative footsteps, Patrick Schwarzenegger is an actor, some of his most prominent work including the HBO miniseries "The Staircase." But when Patrick isn't acting, he's working with his mother on the protein bar company they co-founded, MOSH. "It's pretty surreal 'cause I remember growing up and going to set with him and it was like my favorite activity," Patrick told "Today" of his chosen career path.

Patrick isn't the only family member of his generation who's earned money through the entertainment industry. His sister Christina Schwarzenegger has produced two documentaries, "Take Your Pills" and "Take Your Pills: Xanax," and his other sister, Katherine Schwarzenegger, is married to actor Chris Pratt, star of "Parks and Recreation," "Guardians of the Galaxy," and "Jurassic World."