The Truth Behind Ivanka And Tiffany Trump's Relationship
Growing up with two different moms but the same billionaire father, it's safe to say the relationship between Ivanka and Tiffany Trump, the only daughters of President Donald J. Trump, has been anything but conventional. With their dad officially in the White House, we're taking a look at how Ivanka and Tiffany's bond grew over the years, and how it will continue to grow as members of the most powerful family in America.
They grew up on opposite coasts
Tiffany, the only child from Donald's second marriage to Marla Maples, grew up in Calbasas, Calif. about 3,000 miles away from the New York City home of half-sister Ivanka, who's mom is Donald's first wife, Ivana Trump. Despite the distance, the mom divide, and an obvious age gap—Ivanka is about 12 years older than Tiffany—the two reportedly remained very close. "We would see each other on all of the holidays and talk to each other frequently," Ivanka told People magazine. "She's my little sister! I've been close to Tiffany her whole life, and I really love her."
Tiffany once went to Ivanka for help
Growing up on the West Coast limited Tiffany's physical access to her father, forcing her on at least one occasion to go through Ivanka for help. In the book The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life (per Vanity Fair), Ivanka recalls a time when Tiffany went to Ivanka for advice on how to ask their father for a paternal credit card. "All she wanted, really, was a way to enjoy some of the privileges her friends got to enjoy, in the same way she would have enjoyed them if she'd lived under our father's roof," Ivanka wrote.
In the end, Ivanka says she used her own influence on her father to push the request through. "Big Sis did an end-around to save Tiffany the trouble. I didn't tell her, of course, but I went to our father and suggested he think about surprising Tiffany with a credit card for Christmas, with a small monthly allowance on it," Ivanka wrote. "Sure enough, he did just that. Tiffany was thrilled and relieved. And so appreciative."
Ivanka continued to pull strings for Tiffany
Because of his high-profile presence in New York City, one would immediately assume it was Donald who helped Tiffany land an internship at Vogue magazine in the summer of 2011, but it was actually her half-sister Ivanka who arranged the whole thing, according to The New York Times. At the time, Tiffany was a student at her father and half-sister's alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, and reportedly got to have lunch with Vogue's editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour.
Tiffany went on to snag an equally prestigious—and paid!—internship at the eyewear company Warby Parker, although it's unclear if Ivanka helped set that one up, too.
Tiffany's move to New York brought them closer together
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in May 2016, Tiffany moved to New York City, where her bond with Ivanka grew even stronger. "It's wonderful because she's right here in New York," Ivanka told People magazine. "She'll come with [me and my husband Jared to our country house] on weekends sometimes, and she's always with my kids She's a really good person."
But with Tiffany's sights currently set on law school, the sisters' close proximity to each other may not last long. In December 2016, Politico reported that Tiffany had gone on a tour of Harvard Law School. Ivanka, meanwhile, is moving to Washington, D.C., with her husband, Jared Kushner, who was recently named a senior White House advisor.
They were major assets to their dad's campaign
According to Vanity Fair, Ivanka and Tiffany were Donald's "most useful children" in his quest to win the White House, particularly when it came to his alleged scandals with women. The profile also claims that Trump's campaign was beneficial to the relationship between Ivanka and Tiffany. "When Tiffany graduated from college, Ivanka helped bring Tiffany into the fold, and they bonded in service of their father," Vanity Fair writes. "Some sisters share clothing; Ivanka's public-relations firm is at Tiffany's disposal. On Election Day, both sisters voted for their father, along with 53 percent of white women in America." Ivanka-Tiffany 2028?
But Tiffany's less involved than Ivanka
Ivanka is often described as playing an "influential" and "powerful" role on her father's life, so much so that some people even speculated she'd be filling in as first lady in the White House.
Exactly what role Ivanka will play remains unclear. In the meantime, it's likely it will be much more significant than Tiffany's. According to Vanity Fair, Tiffany, along with her half-brother Barron, who'll turn 11 in 2017, were the only Trump kids not part of Trump's transition team. She was also "largely a non-presence" during her father's campaign "until the very last weeks," due to the fact that she was finishing college. "She will not do it if she is not comfortable with it," Ivanka told The New York Times. "Nobody is pushing her. People refer to us as surrogates, but we are his children."
Indeed, with law school likely on the way, it seems unlikely that Tiffany will have much interest in Washington, D.C., for many years to come.
Tiffany idolizes Ivanka
According to Vanity Fair, Ivanka reportedly has a huge influence on Tiffany's everyday life, offering "politics advice, boy advice, and sisterly advice," as well as how to dress and act in front of the camera. Or, as the family friend told Vanity Fair, "all the things she picked up from being famous." In fact, Ivanka's influence on Tiffany is so strong, Vanity Fair reports that Tiffany recently "took her Secret Service detail with her to Bloomingdale's to pick up a lipstick Ivanka had recommended."
Ivanka is the favorite child
In multiple articles written about the Trump kids, Ivanka is often addressed as the "favorite" among their father; Trump himself has admitted to it in the past, and so have Ivanka's brothers. Tiffany, meanwhile, appears to be playing catchup when it comes to her relationship with her father, after years and years of literal distance; to this day, she's mentioned as being the "forgotten" Trump by publications such as Vanity Fair. But it's not as if Tiffany's not on Donald's radar. In fact, he's boasted about her success at school before, telling People magazine, "She's got all A's at Penn, so we're proud of her."
They were twinning on Inauguration Day
Inauguration Day fashion is always a hot topic, and Tiffany and Ivanka made waves for their sophisticated, and nearly identical, looks on Jan. 20, 2017. Both ladies "donned white and wore their golden locks down," reported USA Today. Ivanka wore white slacks and a white asymmetrical jacket by Oscar de la Renta and Tiffany paired a white dress with a white, double-breasted Taoray Wang overcoat. Fashion insiders say the twinning was no accident. According to Cosmopolitan, the color white is "traditionally associated with the suffragette movement," and women's issues have and will likely continue to be a hot-button topic during their father's presidency. "Ivanka and Tiffany's matching looks packed style and subliminal messaging," said USA Today, "giving a nod to women and the push for equal rights..."