Conspicuously absent from the campaign trail, Ivanka Trump finally joined her father on stage as he celebrated his re-election as president with a victory rally in Florida.
Donald Trump’s elder—and clearly favorite—daughter was a constant presence when he was elected as 45th President of the United States in 2016, helping to broaden his appeal on the campaign trail and then serving alongside her husband, Jared Kushner, as senior aides in the first Trump White House.
But the couple bowed out from political life after Trump’s defeat to Joe Biden, refusing to back his claims that the election was stolen from him. Ivanka later testified voluntarily before the House panel that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol to confirm her father had lost the vote fairly.
ADVERTISEMENT
“While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena,” she announced after his return to the campaign trail two years ago.
Having returned to life as an influencer/entrepreneur, Ivanka was true to her word. She was nowhere to be seen as her father mounted what had seemed an improbable comeback, bulldozing his way through the GOP primaries to take absolute control of the GOP, making only a brief appearance at the 2024 Republican National Convention.
Her husband was asked last month what chance there was of seeing Ivanka back on the campaign trail and he answered, “zero.”
On the eve of the election, as her increasingly exhausted father rounded off his campaign, she sent out a social media post—described as a “self-help word salad”—to mark her 43rd birthday. In it she shared 17 life lessons, including “Trust yourself,” “Nourish your body,” and “Get sunshine daily.” “Vote Donald Trump” was not among them.
All seemed forgiven, however, as Ivanka and her husband finally turned up early Wednesday at her father’s victory rally at the West Palm Beach Convention Center, Ivanka smiling broadly without a hint of embarrassment as the 47th President of the United States paid tribute to all his “amazing” children and their respective partners.
Whether that was just a one-off family celebration, however, or marked a return to political life for Ivanka and her husband is an open question.
The Daily Beast Podcast episodes are released every Thursday. Like and download on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. And click here for email updates as each new episode drops.
