The shock return of Ivanka – and which jobs Don Jr and granddaughter Kai might have under Trump

On stage at his headquarters in Florida, in front of a wall of stars and stripes, Donald Trump celebrated his extraordinary election victory. He thanked his adoring supporters and friends and family members who had helped him pull off such an astonishing electoral coup, becoming only the second president in American history to win non-consecutive terms.

But after a campaign in which many of Trump’s relatives were notable by their absence, it was striking to see them all in one place in his moment of triumph. Between his five children from three marriages, their partners and their 10 children, the 78-year-old has a dynasty worthy of any Tudor court, with just as much infighting, intrigue and ambition.

Donald Trump celebrates his victory between flanked by daughter-in-law Lara Trump (left) and his wife Melania.Credit: AP

So, looking ahead to his return to the White House, what might his second administration mean for his nearest and dearest?

Whit Ayres, a veteran political consultant and president of North Star Opinion Research, says: “I’m not going to bet against the involvement of any Trump family members who want a role in the new administration.” Indeed, it has been a bad week to bet against the Trumps.

Ivanka Trump

Ivanka’s presence on stage, alongside her father, in a striking blue suit, marked her first appearance of this campaign. She and her husband, Jared Kushner, played a prominent role in her father’s previous two runs for the White House.

She frequently gave speeches, appeared in TV ads supporting him, and served as an official adviser during his presidency. But in November 2022, Ivanka announced she would be stepping back from frontline politics. “While I will always love and support my father, going forward, I will do so outside the political arena,” she said.

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner listen to Donald Trump on election night.Credit: AP

She has stuck to her guns since. Unlike her brothers, she did not appear to support her father in court this year. She has said that she wanted to prioritise her family and business interests, but there has been speculation she also wanted to distance herself from some of the more unsavoury accusations against the now president-elect. In a New York Times piece last week, Kushner said his wife had “closed that chapter of her life” and that, while they were “rooting for” Donald, their life would “continue to move forward” regardless of the election outcome.

Vicky Ward, author of Kushner, Inc: Greed. Ambition. Corruption, about the couple’s extensive business interests, said: “They don’t need to go into government. They’ve already proven, in a way, that government is really good business for them.”

A former European-based ambassador in Trump’s first term says: “One of the many things that people are overlooking in Donald Trump’s victory is his inclination to do things differently second time round and run a more efficient operation in the White House. Jared and Ivanka are quite happy doing business in the Middle East and striking Eastern European property deals, so I don’t think they’ll play as prominent a political role in Trump’s second term, and I don’t think they want to.”

Jared Kushner

Kushner was the golden boy of Trump’s first term in office, a then 36-year-old property developer who – by virtue of being married to Trump’s daughter – went from running the social media side of his election campaign, codenamed Project Alamo, to a job as senior adviser to the new president. He focused on the Middle East.

Despite the accusations of nepotism, those who came across Kushner reported a surprisingly engaged figure, more cerebral than some of his extended family. Given the war in Gaza that is spilling out into neighbouring countries, his experience could be vital in the months and years ahead. The snag is that he has expressed no interest in returning to frontline politics.

Since Trump left power in 2020, Kushner has used the connections from his time in the White House to burnish an already hefty fortune. He founded a private equity fund, Affinity Partners, which has $US3 billion ($4.5 billion) under management, almost all of it from Saudi Arabia. In the New York Times interview, Kushner said there was “zero” chance of him and Ivanka joining Donald in the final stages of the campaign. But he may be acting behind the scenes.

Jared Kushner meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh in 2020.Credit: Saudi Press Agency

Trump’s transition co-chair Howard Lutnick told Rolling Stone last week: “Jared Kushner is a big help to me … he’s absolutely helping me.”

“The Middle East stuff may still interest Jared,” says Raheem Kassam, a former adviser to Brexiteer Nigel Farage and a Trump insider. “[Trump] is going to want it sorted out before he takes office. He’s not going to want to inherit a State Department that’s worried about going to war. I think you’ll see Jared over there ASAP, trying to knock people’s heads together.”

Donald Trump Jr

During Trump’s first run at the White House in 2016, the advisory roles were dominated by Jared and Ivanka. But with the golden boy and girl having removed themselves from the picture, at least for now, Don Jr has emerged as the most involved family member.

He was brought on board in April 2021 after his father’s defeat by President Joe Biden, as he started planning his third tilt at the big job. It was a surprising twist, given that, in previous accounts, Donald Sr had been reportedly less than admiring of his eldest son’s intellectual qualities.

Donald Trump with his son Don Jr at a rally in Reading, Pennsylvania on Monday.Credit: AP

Since becoming increasingly involved, however, Don Jr has been credited with keeping his father aligned with his core voters, particularly on culture-war issues. “Don has the pulse of the base and knows where the energy of the party is, so he’s sort of the go-to person now on a lot of political things,” a former aide told CNN.

He was reportedly instrumental in keeping J.D. Vance as the vice-presidential pick in the face of pressure from others to change course after Vance drew flak for, among other things, describing Vice President Kamala Harris as a “childless cat lady”.

“Don Jr absolutely nailed the VP pick,” Kassam says. “He brought Vance to the table. Nobody thought that was a serious prospect. You have to respect that.”

Vance has returned the support, saying of Don Jr: “With the exception of his dad, I’m not sure I’ve seen anyone who has a stronger natural connection to our base.”

Don Jr’s podcast, Triggered, has, meanwhile, become an influential platform in MAGA-land. Given Jared and Ivanka’s historic trajectory from helping with the campaign to helping in government, it would be no surprise to see Don Jr rewarded with an official role in the White House.

Eric Trump

Like Don Jr, Eric has been a frequent presence during this campaign, appearing at rallies to cheerlead for his father. Compared with the urbane Jared and Ivanka, Don Jr and Eric cut a brasher, more MAGA-inflected pose. At a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in October, three months after the assassination attempt on Donald Sr, Eric shouted: “Fight! Fight! Fight! They tried to smear us, they tried to bankrupt us, they came after us, they impeached him twice … then, guys, they tried to kill him.”

Eric and Lara Trump join the large family and campaign staff on stage on Wednesday.Credit: AP

If his older brother has his ear to the ground when it comes to the voters, Eric has closer ties to the party machinery. His wife, Lara, is the co-chair of the Republican National Committee. Although he is executive vice president of the Trump Organisation, albeit now banned from serving as a director or officer of any New York companies, it would be a surprise not to see him in government.

Melania Trump

Easily the most enigmatic member of the family, Melania has been more absent than during previous campaigns, when she played the part of the first lady, albeit with a rictus grin. She gave every impression of loathing her time in the White House, once comparing it to a Venezuelan prison, and there’s little reason to think she will feel any different this time around. Since their last campaign, her husband has been embroiled in even more scandals, including a court case in which he was found guilty of falsifying business records to buy the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels.

Trump and vice president-elect J.D. Vance and Vance’s wife Usha (third from left).Credit: Bloomberg

As if to underscore the point, she seemed to refuse to kiss Trump on stage during his victory speech, presenting her husband instead with an icy Slavic cheekbone, as she is wont to do. But her glamorous appearance, in a tailored grey suit and Republican red-soled shoes, underlined the value she has at Trump’s side. The president-elect praised his “beautiful wife” in his speech for “working very hard to help people”.

Of all the family, she may be the most reluctant to return to Washington, but one of the assets Trump can least do without.

The former ambassador says: “Melania had a very good campaign, and her book has been a bestseller – which has delighted her husband – so I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she starts to have more policy input going forward than previously.” Melania, the book, came out last month.

Barron Trump

Trump’s youngest child, 18-year-old Barron, was the breakout star of this campaign. As a freshman student at New York University, he is more plugged into youth culture than his siblings. It was Barron, reportedly, rather than any highly paid media strategist, who suggested Trump go on high-profile podcasts, including Joe Rogan’s show, to chat about wrestling, drugs and whether he or the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had a bigger red button.

Melania Trump with Barron Trump (centre) and her father, Viktor Knavs.Credit: AP

He was also reportedly behind World Liberty Financial, a curious cryptocurrency business his father announced in September. Could Barron Trump be plucked from college to help his father lead the free world? In Trumpland, weirder things have happened.

Kai Trump

Trump’s 17-year-old granddaughter Kai, Don Jr’s daughter, could yet prove the most powerful family asset of them all. She has become a star on social media thanks in part to her speeches in praise of her grandfather, especially at the Republican National Convention in July, but more importantly, her fearsome golf game. Her appearance on stage on election night to celebrate her grandfather’s victory suggests we may be hearing the surname Trump for a very long time to come. Still, even Trump may wait until she has left school to give her a job.

Kai Madison Trump, daughter of Donald Trump Jr, speaks during the Republican National Convention in July.Credit: AP

Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita

On stage, Trump also made sure to thank his campaign managers, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, who masterminded his victory. They found a way to retain his core supporters while picking up piles of new ones, including surprising numbers of black and Latino voters. LaCivita had long planned an “extraordinarily visual” campaign against Joe Biden, which would make the most of their then-opponent’s old age and dodderiness. If anything, it was too successful.

Trump co-campaign manager Susie Wiles has been picked to be his new chief of staff.Credit: AP

Campaigners do not always transfer into government, but in some cases – see British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Morgan McSweeney, now No. 10 chief of staff, or David Axelrod, who was Obama’s senior adviser after running his campaign – they can be a natural fit. It would be a surprise to see LaCivita, a former marine turned swashbuckling strategist who made his name with the 2004 attack on John Kerry’s Vietnam service, take a desk job in government, especially as he has made a reported $US22 million ($33 million) from this campaign, which is said to have infuriated his boss.

Wiles, 67, in the end was a better fit. As the senior campaign manager, she encouraged Trump to simplify his messaging, urge his supporters to use postal votes and play to his strengths.

“Chief of staff is hers if she wants it,” says Kassam. “But it’s a bit of a cursed role.”

Trump has since announced he had picked Wiles, the “Ice Maiden”, to be his chief of staff in the White House.

The Telegraph, London

Additional reporting by Tom Teodorczuk

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