First daughter Ivanka Trump was seated next to former first daughter Chelsea Clinton at the Washington National Cathedral for ex-President George H.W. Bush's funeral on Wednesday, and reportedly was "suppressing" any animosity they had towards each other.
"Just behind the presidents and vice presidents, Ivanka Trump sat next to Chelsea Clinton, suppressing from public view any hostility that might exist between them," The Washington Post reported.
They reportedly were seen chatting briefly.
The seating arrangement was at least awkward for the two women given Ivanka Trump's father President Donald Trump has continued to attack Chelsea Clinton's mother Hillary Clinton despite having defeated her in the 2016 presidential election. President Trump has not let go of his "Crooked Hillary" nickname for her, and once called the former first daughter's father, ex-President Bill Clinton, the worst abuser of women.
Ivanka Trump, 37, and Chelsea Clinton, 38, were friends in the past. Just a few months before the 2016 presidential election, Ivanka Trump called Chelsea Clinton a "good friend."
"We support each other. We are not the candidates. We're the children of the candidates, and we both respect our parents," Ivanka Trump told Fox News' On the Record show at the time. "We never talked about politics before this campaign, and I think it's probably a good topic for us to avoid talking about now as well."
Ivanka Trump added that she would "absolutely" still maintain a friendship with Chelsea Clinton after the campaign.
However, things between them appear to have changed and they had reportedly not been seen together in public since a falling out.
Chelsea Clinton in March criticized Ivanka Trump in her position as a senior White House adviser.
"I think anyone who works for the president should expect to be scrutinized for whatever decisions not only he or she is making, but whatever decisions the White House is making on any given day," Chelsea Clinton told The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
"It's clear though that she has supported policies and decisions that I don't agree with," the former first daughter continued.
Chelsea Clinton added of the Trump administration: "I think unfortunately this administration is the collision of cruelty and incompetence."
Interactions between the parents of the two women at Bush's funeral were awkward as well.
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump were placed just two seats away from the Clintons, with the Obamas in between. As the Trumps took their seats, Hillary Clinton looked over and nodded several times but otherwise did not acknowledge their presence.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
A Los Angeles native, Jessica Kwong grew up speaking Spanish, Cantonese and English, in that order. Her journalism career started ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
