What Ivanka Supposedly Convinced Donald Trump To Do Regarding John McCain's Death
Donald Trump really holds daughter Ivanka Trump's opinion in high regard. So much so, Donald even gave her a job in his administration as an advisor to the president in 2017, per CNN. Even former Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes told The Daily Beast, "Ivanka is the secret weapon of the entire Trump organization." Ailes also said that "she not only has tremendous business savvy, but she's also street smart. There's no doubt she exhibits the best skills of her father." Those are powerful words to hear from one of the biggest former media conglomerate owners in the world, but Ivanka still holds humility.
Ivanka actually holds the wisdom her father imparts on her in high regard. In an interview with Marie Claire, she explained that his approval and input on things doesn't bother her, but actually fuels her. "No, I strive for it," Ivanka said. "I'd like to say I was bigger than needing it, but I'm not. Ultimately, he is my boss, and his approval validates everything I'm working on."
Time has shown that this father-and-daughter duo have a symbiotic relationship, where they lean on each other for support and wisdom. Especially when it came down to dealing with people the Trump family was not so fond of. So during the death of highly esteemed Arizona Senator John McCain (and the man Donald had huge beef with, per New York Mag), we were wondering: What advice did Ivanka give to Donald to deal with this tragedy?
Ivanka convinced Donald Trump to lower the American flag
Stephanie Grisham's new memoir "I'll Take Your Questions Now" is filled with juicy tidbits about the former 45th president's antics while in office. When Senator John McCain died in August 2018, many U.S. government officials decided to lower the American flag to half-staff, which is traditional. However, Donald Trump had a turbulent relationship with McCain over the years (per ABC News), and wasn't about to traditionally mourn the Arizona senator until someone convinced him otherwise. "The president hadn't even wanted to order the nation's flags to be lowered to half-staff," Grisham wrote. "It was Ivanka who convinced him to do it, in the end, which was the right thing to do."
According to the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, the president has the power to order the flag to be placed at half-staff whenever an important government official dies or after any tragic event. Also, the U.S. Flag Code says that the American flags on top of federal government buildings, like the White House and the Pentagon, have to fly at half-staff during the day, plus the day after, a Congress member dies.
Donald was reportedly not willing to do either, receiving scrutiny from members all across Congress on both sides and veterans groups. He eventually did and tweeted about lowering the flag "without hesitation or complaint," per Insider. However this was disputed by former Trump administration staffer, Miles Taylor, in a tweet. "Mr. President, this is not true, you were angry that DHS notified federal buildings to lower the flags for Sen. McCain," Taylor said.