There’s nothing quite like a Taylor Swift concert to bring together the A-Listers. Last week, Ivanka Trump joined the likes of Tom Brady, Serena Williams, and Jason Kelce by taking her 13-year-old daughter to see Taylor Swift’s sold-out Eras Tour at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami – just weeks after her father, Donald Trump, said he ‘hates’ the singer.
In the past, Ivanka has made no secret that her daughter, Arabella, who she shares with husband Jared Kushner, is a die-hard Swiftie. To celebrate her birthday in July, Arabella received a white heart cake with the words ‘Boys only want love if it’s torture,’ a line from Swift’s 2014 hit ‘Blank Space.’ Ivanka shared a picture of the cake to Instagram, captioning the post ‘Best cake for my favourite Swiftie.’
But while the mother-daughter outing to see Arabella’s favourite singer appears to be just that, the timing of the trip has highlighted just how pared-back Ivanka’s role in the election has been so far, and even led some to question whether she’s trying to distance herself further from her father.
Let’s not forget that Taylor Swift’s endorsement became one of the most sought after in the 2020 presidential race – and the concert comes just weeks after Swift lent her support to Kamala Harris on Instagram in a widely reported move overshadowed the two candidates’ only face-to-face debate. In the post, she wrote ‘I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.’ She signed off the post ‘childless cat lady’ – a reference to a controversial comment made by Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance.
Donald Trump was quick to react on his own social platform, Truth Social. In a blunt post, he wrote ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!’ He responded further to Swift’s endorsement a day later an interview with Fox & Friends, where he said, ‘I was not a Taylor Swift fan,’ continuing ‘It was just a question of time. ... But she’s a very liberal person. She seems to always endorse a Democrat. And she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace.’
Swift’s gig forms one of many public appearances for Ivanka– but notably, almost all of these have been away from the campaign trail. The only appearance Ivanka has made so far for her father was at the 2024 Republican National Convention - appearing on stage alongside the Trump family. This marks a significant shift from the role Ivanka played in the 2016 presidential campaign. She and her husband were made advisors to Trump when he took over the White House in 2017, and Ivanka quickly became her father’s right-hand woman. Many people have been left speculating where Trump’s eldest daughter has been, and on Google there’s breakout search for ‘where is Ivanka Trump.’
However, Ivanka made it clear two years ago that she would not be part of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, saying she planned to support her father ‘outside the political arena.’ She told Fox News ‘I love my father very much,’ continuing ‘this time around, I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family. I do not plan to be involved in politics.’ She added ‘While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena. I am grateful to have had the honor of serving the American people and will always be proud of many of our administration’s accomplishments.’
Appearing on the Lex Fridman Podcast, Ivanka further explained why she decided to stay out of politics. ‘It was a decision rooted in me being a parent, really thinking about what they need from me now. Politics is a rough, rough business, and I think it's one that you also can't dabble in. I think you have to either be all in or all out,’ she said.
Ivanka also stressed that she didn’t want politics to stop her being present for her family. ‘And I know today the cost they would pay for me being all in, emotionally, in terms of my absence at such a formative point in their life,’ she said. ‘And I'm not willing to make them bear that cost. I served for four years and feel so privileged to have done it, but as their mom I think it's really important that I do what's right for them. And I think there are a lot of ways you can serve.’
At the same time, Trump’s brand appears to be growing more extreme. In recent weeks, Trump has grown closer to Laura Loomer, a notorious far-right conspiracy theorist with a history of making outrageous comments – a move which has even sparked anger amongst some of his most prominent supporters. Others have pointed to how his rhetoric has become even more inflammatory in the run up to the election day.
Some reports suggest that friends and heavy public criticism helped convince Ivanka to leave politics and revive her career as a socialite. In 2017, major retailers ditched Ivanka's clothing brand following customer protests and weak sales, while in the same year she was mocked on Saturday Night Live with a fake advert featuring Scarlett Johannsen. She was recently spotted at Kim Kardashian’s 43rd birthday party at a trendy Beverly Hills restaurant, alongside Jeff Bezos's fiancée Lauren Sanchez, Hailey Bieber, and others from the Kardashian clan. However, insiders claim that Ivanka still shares a close relationship with her father, and they spend time together playing golf at family events away from the campaign trail.
Where do the other members of the Trump clan stand? It’s true that this election seems to reflect less of a united family front than previous ones, when the Trump family was a key part of his brand. Trump’s younger daughter, Tiffany, is pregnant, while his youngest son, Baron, recently started his freshman year of college at New York University.
His two sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr have been more prominent than other family members on the campaign trail, but still seem to be less visible than in past elections. Donald Trump Jr is reportedly more politically influential than ever behind the scenes, having even advocated for Vance, a close friend of his and, at the time, a relatively inexperienced senator from Ohio, to become Trump’s vice-presidential nominee. As for Melania, she did attend the Republican convention, but broke convention by not giving a speech. It seems most of her recent public appearances have been dedicated to promoting her own memoir.
It's little surprise, then, that Trump’s grandchildren are playing a greater role in proceedings this time around. It was Trump’s 17-year-old granddaughter, Kai Trump, who took to the stage at the Republican convention to tell Delegates ‘The media makes my grandpa seem like a different person. But I know him for who he is. He is very caring and loving. He truly wants the best for this country. And he will fight every single day to make America great again.’
As the world waits with bated breath for the outcome of the US election, only time will tell what the future holds for Ivanka Trump.