Ivanka Trump's Life Growing Up In The Spotlight

Ivanka Trump, seen here at 6 years old in 1987 with opera legend Plácido Domingo, mother Ivana Trump, and younger brother Eric Trump, undeniably lived a privileged life as a child. Named after her mom, who happened to be Donald Trump's first of three wives, Ivanka explained in a 2010 tweet, "My actual name is Ivana. In Czech, Ivanka is the baby name for Ivana, like Bobby is to Robert." 

In her "Women Who Work" memoir, Ivanka described the close bond she's always shared with her mother, who influenced her young daughter while managing real estate deals for the Trump Organization alongside Donald. Writing about accompanying her mom on construction site visits to see progress on New York's Plaza Hotel, Ivanka wrote, "She would meticulously inspect each inch of the prior day's work — impeccably dressed, in full makeup and four-inch high heels." 

She found herself deeply inspired by how her mom balanced her power as a mom, a business tycoon, and a glamorous woman — without flinching. "It was my mother, unapologetically feminine in a male industry, who first embodied and defined for me what it meant to be a multidimensional woman — a woman who works at all aspects of her life," she wrote. 

Ivanka Trump, seen here with her mother Ivana Trump, was only 9 years old when her parents announced their divorce. Worse still, their separation revolved around a public scandal when Donald Trump was accused of having cheated on Ivana with his soon-to-be second wife, Marla Maples. Speaking to People in 2016, Ivanka praised her parents for having sheltered her and her siblings from the heightened media attention. "They did a remarkable job protecting us from something largely outside of their control," she said. "We didn't have newspapers in the house for a significant period of time and the TV wasn't on when they weren't there. So they tried to mitigate the attention that that moment received." 

Rather than make her feel distant from her parents, Ivanka suggested that the challenges faced within the family actually helped her to grow closer to her parents. While there may have been heartbreak at home, there was no shortage of love — and both Ivana and Donald made that clear to their children. "They helped us ... by being supportive with one another, not disparaging the other in front of us," she added. "There was still tremendous affection between them and ... there would always be great love for us."

All that alleged time off school building her modeling portfolio at least somewhat paid off. Not unlike her stepmother, Melania Trump (pictured, left), Ivanka Trump also entertained a brief modeling career during her late teens. Signing with the Elite Modeling Agency, she landed a cover shoot for Seventeen in 1997 and walked the Paris runway for Thierry Mugler the following year. However, speaking with Marie Claire in 2007, Ivanka dismissed the experience as being a superficial folly that ultimately just gave her a chance to see the world. Apparently, she had more serious ambitions — and they didn't involve the same challenges of modeling. She elaborated, "I didn't particularly enjoy the act of it. It's as ruthless an industry as real estate — the people you meet in that business are just as fricking tough." 

That same year, Ivanka echoed these sentiments by discussing the mean-girl mentality of the modeling world during a Harper's Bazaar interview. Comparing her life at the Trump Organization with her time as a model, she mused, "[Realators] have nothing on a group of catty 16-year-old female models without parental supervision. That is a mean, tough, aggressive business, and it taught me to build a callus to the projections of others."

Ivanka Trump was eager to hit the ground running following her graduation from Wharton. "By spring of my senior year, I had accepted [a] position at Forest City Ratner," she wrote in her 2017 memoir, "Women Who Work," about the Brooklyn-based firm where she would get her start in the real estate business. Ivanka even turned down a position at Vogue to take the job, describing how Anna Wintour called the college grad and attempted to woo her with a job offer — which Ivanka respectfully declined, explaining, "I just wasn't willing to delay my dream of becoming a builder."

Just one year in, a 24-year-old Ivanka decided to leave Forest City Ratner and join the Trump Organization in 2005 to work alongside her father and older brother, Donald Trump Jr. A year later, she aligned herself even closer with her dad by signing on to appear on "The Apprentice" in 2006. The reality competition show, which featured Donald Trump booting contestants with his famous catchphrase, "You're fired," was a platform for Ivanka to champion the Trump Organization's goals.

"I've been asked to do all sorts of other shows — you know, stupid stuff — but ultimately they do nothing for the brand," Ivanka explained to GQ in 2007. "They do nothing to advance my ultimate goal of becoming a great developer." While Ivanka told the magazine that she wasn't interested in building a television career, Ivanka would periodically appear on "The Apprentice" and its "Celebrity Apprentice" spin-off over the next decade. 

With a job at Trump Organization and an on-air role on "The Apprentice," Ivanka Trump's career was already buzzing when she decided to branch out into the fashion world. In 2007, Ivanka launched her jewelry collection, writing in her "Women Who Work" memoir, "Women were interested in buying jewelry for themselves — and were no longer waiting for a man to do it for them." 

While the items themselves seemed to represent material independence for women looking to invest in their own luxurious decadence, the business also represented somewhat of a professional statement of independent success for Ivanka too. "It's exciting for me, particularly because it would be the first thing I've done under my own name," she told Marie Claire that same year. "... I know I have to prove myself within the company, to my father, and [to] everyone we work with.

In 2011, she went on to launch her eponymous line of clothing and shoes (which she eventually folded in 2018). Like her jewelry collection, Ivanka's mission for the business went well beyond setting goals for profits. "I was really proud of the fact that my collections captured a femininity and a sense of fashion that working women hadn't been able to express even just a decade before," she wrote in her memoir.

When Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign in June 2015, Ivanka Trump notably took the stage to introduce him to the crowd. She would stay by her father's side until his eventual victory in 2016, frequently hitting the campaign trail, with Michael D'Antonio praising her loyalty in a piece for Politico, writing, "Ivanka Trump is her father's ... most powerful surrogate." She also appeared in television ads aimed at mothers to pitch Donald's alleged support for working women.

Similarly, Ivanka served as a powerful voice, defending her father against his widely-criticized verbal attacks on women, including his war of words with Megyn Kelly in 2015. "Look, my father is very blunt, he's very direct, he is not gender specific in his criticism of people," Ivanka claimed to CNN at the time of her dad's rhetoric surrounding Kelly. "So I don't think that he's gender-targeted at all."

In 2016, Ivanka also stepped up to defend her father after The New York Times published a controversial report concerning Donald's allegedly inappropriate behavior towards women spanning several decades. "He's not a groper. It's not who he is," she told "CBS This Morning." "He has total respect for women."

When Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election in an upset over Hillary Clinton, Ivanka Trump was ready and willing to step into a national role, with all the sartorial power that position entailed. For her father's inauguration ceremony on Jan. 20, 2017, she drew praise for her winter-white ensemble during his outdoor swearing-in, wearing a white jacket and trousers by Oscar de la Renta, accessorized with an American flag pin. 

Ivanka's choice of a white ensemble may have been a reference to the suffragette movement, with the first daughter's look tying in with her passionate stance in the push for more equal rights between men and women. However, some critics also couldn't help but note that her style choice pushed her back in league with — or potentially, against — Hilary Clinton whose signature white pantsuits had paid tribute to the many women who had paved the way for her to even attempt a presidential run. For Ivanka to wear white — alongside her half-sister, Tiffany Trump, who also rocked the same color scheme — could be seen as an overt visual statement. Not just in tribute to her own values, but also as a way to reclaim Clinton's bid for power and keep it for herself, in light of her father's presidential victory. 

As a senior advisor to her father's administration, Ivanka Trump enjoyed the perks of her new life as a public official. To comply with ethics laws, she stepped down from her position with the Trump Organization in order to assume a role in the White House, with her husband Jared Kushner leaving his roles with Kushner Companies and The New York Observer in order to also accept an advisory role with the president. However, their business decisions didn't leave them financially struggling as the couple reportedly earned around $36 million in outside income in 2019.

Ivanka reportedly played a key role in various Trump administration efforts during her time working alongside her father in the White House. Ivanka's work included her involvement in an initiative supporting women's development and education around the world, as well as increasing funding of STEM and computer science education in U.S. schools. 

However, her efforts within her father's administration weren't always received warmly on the global stage. This very much includes her famously-panned appearance at the 2019 G20 summit, where she was mocked over videos showing her appearing to awkwardly interact with world leaders. Ivanka was also criticized when Donald Trump floated her name as a potential United Nations ambassador, with her father addressing the matter on Twitter, claiming, "So nice, everyone wants Ivanka Trump to be the new United Nations Ambassador. She would be incredible, but I can already hear the chants of Nepotism! We have great people that want the job."

Despite Ivanka Trump's seemingly less-visible White House role, she still bore the brunt of criticism in 2020 for several appearances that were widely seen as missteps. In a July 2020 ad campaign, Donald Trump's oldest daughter told Americans to "Find Something New," and urged those unemployed amid the pandemic to pursue new careers. The campaign, of course, was lambasted by critics on social media for its lack of sensitivity toward out-of-work Americans, with Ivanka responding to one negative tweet by claiming, "This initiative is about challenging the idea the traditional two and four [year] college is the only option to acquire the skills needed to secure a job. This work has never been more urgent." 

Ivanka was also lampooned for posting a photo of herself posing with a can of Goya black beans, part of the Trump administration's mutual support of the Goya brand, which prompted Democratic senators to accuse Ivanka of violating ethics laws, per Politico. Ivanka's tweet containing a Bible verse, which she shared in the midst of America's widespread Black Lives Matter protests, also didn't go over any better with her critics.

She might be daddy's little girl but Ivanka Trump is not one to be pushed around. And when necessary, she is certainly not afraid to take a stand — even if it is against her father. Back in 2017, Ivanka faced backlash for her lingering silence about Donald Trump's policies and some controversial decisions made during his administration. But while silence more often than not means agreement, this wasn't the case with Ivanka. "I would say not to conflate lack of public denouncement with silence," she said during an appearance on CBS This Morning. "I think there are multiple ways to have your voice heard ... So where I disagree with my father, he knows it, and I express myself with total candor."

Of course, we saw this play out after the January 6 insurrection carried out by Donald's supporters at the U.S. Capitol. To examine the events leading up to the attacks, an investigation panel was set up to look into Donald's role in the insurrection. Ivanka would later give her testimony to the panel. But rather than support her father's claims of electoral malpractice, Ivanka gave her unbiased opinion. Discussing her father's election loss in 2020 and the former attorney general's attempt to convince Donald that he had truly lost the election, she told congressional investigators at the hearing, "I respect Attorney General Barr. So I accepted what he was saying," per The Guardian.