Ivanka Trump Silent on Father's Legal Woes

Donald Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka, has maintained a notable public silence regarding the former president's ongoing hush money trial in Manhattan.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment he arranged for his lawyer Michael Cohen to give adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep an alleged affair she had with Trump a secret ahead of the 2016 election.

The money was listed in the presumptive GOP presidential nominee's company records as "legal fees," which prosecutors say was part of an unlawful attempt to influence the outcome of the 2016 race. Trump has admitted to reimbursing Cohen for the $130,000 payment but denies all wrongdoing, saying the criminal trial is part of a political witch hunt aimed at derailing his White House bid.

Since the trial began with jury selection on April 15, Ivanka Trump—who served as a senior adviser to her father along with her husband, Jared Kushner, during his term in office—has opted to forgo publicly commenting on his legal woes.

On April 14, the mother of three took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a photo that showed her at a motocross park in Florida with her children. "Moto Mama!" Ivanka Trump captioned the post, which, like others, has restrictions on who can comment under the photo.

Five days later, on April 19, Ivanka continued to showcase her life away from the drama surrounding her father as she posted a photo from her recent trip to Utah.

Showing herself posing before a mountainous landscape, the former first daughter wrote in a caption: "Last week's adventures still fresh in my memory as I step into the weekend."

As her father's trial continued to dominate the headlines on Thursday, Ivanka recommended a book and phone to her followers on X.

"Highly recommend @JonHaidt's compelling new book, 'The Anxious Generation'!" she said in her post. "Haidt explores the complexities of anxiety gripping today's kids and offers profound insights into navigating this modern, technology induced epidemic."

She continued: "Key takeaways: - No smartphones before high school - No social media before 16 - Phone free schools - More independence, free play and responsibility in the real world. I personally love the Pinwheel phone ~ a safe, effective alternative to smartphones. With its limited features, Pinwheel provides communication functions without the distractions of the internet or social media."

Ivanka ended the post by saying it was "not a paid promotion—I just love the phone and it is what I have chosen for my own daughter."

A source familiar with the situation told Newsweek that Ivanka "has spoken to her father over the last few days and remains as supportive as ever."

Like Ivanka, Donald Trump's other daughter, Tiffany, has also chosen to not publicly discuss the trial. She has not posted on X since 2022.

By contrast, the former president's eldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr., have been outspoken in support of their father on social media.

Donald Trump briefly addressed the media as he left the courthouse at the end of the trial's first day, saying: "It looks like the judge will not let me go to the graduation of my son who's worked very, very hard and he is a great student."

He was referring to his 18-year-old son, Barron, whom he shares with his wife, Melania.

Slamming Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the trial, on X, Eric Trump wrote: "Judge Merchan is truly heartless in not letting a father attend his son's graduation."

Donald Trump Jr. called it "pure evil" in a post. However, it appears that Merchan hasn't yet decided on the matter.

To date, none of Donald Trump's immediate family members have been seen in attendance at the trial. Newsweek has contacted a representative of Donald Trump via email for comment.

In November 2022, Ivanka said she did not attend her father's 2024 campaign announcement because she did "not plan to be involved in politics."

In a statement released to CNN, she said, "While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside of the political arena."

She added: "This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family."

Meanwhile, Melania has been largely absent from her husband's campaign events, declining to make public appearances or comment about the election. Her presence has been scaled back in contrast to the 2016 presidential campaign, when she took a more active role.

Trump had revealed his wife's reasons for being absent from his New Year's Eve party, when he said in a speech at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida that she had been with her "very ill" mother, Amalija Knavs, in a Miami hospital. Knavs died in January.

In March, Melania stood next to her husband while he fielded questions from reporters after casting his vote in Florida's Republican primary. Asked by reporters if she planned to return to the campaign trail ahead of the 2024 election, the former first lady responded: "Stay tuned."

During a February town hall event in South Carolina, Trump said that his "very brilliant" wife's attention was devoted to their son.

"Her life revolves around that boy, [he's] so important to her," he told Fox News host Laura Ingraham. "At the same time, it also revolves around our country and the success of our country. She's raised a lot of money for charity."

He continued: "She's a private person. It's funny, she was a very successful model, very, very successful, and yet she was a private person. She's going to be out a lot, not because she likes doing it but she likes the result. She wants to see this country really succeed."

Update 4/29/24, 8:35 a.m. ET: This story was updated with a comment from a source familiar with the situation.