WHAT DO THEY WANT FROM IVANKA TRUMP?

We have been told that Ivanka Trump wants to make climate change one of her signature issues during her father’s presidency. Trump haters have been yapping about that. Rather than be happy that one of Trump’s closest advisers has taken the issue as one of her most important concerns, they are busy griping that she is Trump’s daughter, as if that somehow makes climate change advocacy evil. Again, they forget that she is an American citizen.
When Bill Clinton became US President in 1992, he made Hillary Clinton his wife his chief points person on the issue of health. Some of these people did not snigger then. They did not sneer. Why are they now speaking up against the Trumps?
If we look at the issues she talked about at the Republican National Convention: pay equity, and parental leave, it is clear that Ivanka is going to be as active in the Trump Administration as Hillary Clinton was in the Clinton Administration. Ivanka takes this so seriously, she is even searching for a Chief of Staff to help her in her political advocacy. She is also interested in advocating for working women.
The Trump haters has even written tons of articles complaining of the fact that Ivanka and her husband want to move to Washington to be close to their father. What’s their business with that? And considering the fact that Donald Trump’s wife Melania has to stay back in New York because of their son Barron’s education, don’t they think that Donald Trump deserves all the help he can get for the First Lady kind of roles?

If Melania Trump was showing eagerness to move to the White House now, these same critics may have called her a social climber. SMH.
Me thinks the real reason for all these gripes -apart from the visceral hatred of The Donald- is that Trump haters fear that the super effective, super tactful Ivanka Trump will become the most powerful First Daughter in history, giving her dad a strategic benefit he wouldn’t have had had she stayed on quietly in business – and putting a solid foundation in a Trump political dynasty.

Look at how far she has come so fast. She, as well as two of Donald Trump’s sons, Donald Jr, and Eric Trump are on the Presidential transition team, and at least one of them stands a chance of making Trump’s Administration.
Ivanka Trump’s husband is also a very influential adviser that has The Donald’s ear, as events have shown. Undoubtedly aware of his daughter’s effectiveness, Donald Trump has not hidden his belief that Ivanka would do well if given a cabinet post. As a result, the Trump haters want her as far away from Trump as possible. So, when they hear that she and her husband are looking for a house in Washington, they see all shades of red.

So, let us then ask: if Ivanka becomes politically exposed, will she be the first child of a president to be so politically exposed? First let’s start with current political First Children, Malia and Sasha Obama. It is no secret that President Obama sometimes takes them along in his official trips, where they undoubtedly get to meet world leaders and their families. These Trump haters have not really complained about. In the past 8 years, we didn’t hear them howl of how Malia or Sasha should be in school.(Maybe forestalling such unfair attacks against Barron Trump is why Mr and Mrs trump have decided that he will stay back in New York for now. But if Baron wants to go on the odd foreign trip with Dad, me thinks Dad should not let what the haters would say stand in Barron’s way, New York or no New York.)

Let’s look at other first children that tried to influence national politics in the US – that didn’t just go about partying and/or doing private business. Luci Johnson, the youngest daughter of President Lyndon B Johnson used to make campaign speeches for him. President Gerald Ford’s son, Steve was a fierce opponent of his father’s decision to pardon Richard Nixon, and is known to have had colourful debates with him on the issue. No doubt Ford took his youthful voice as a sort of barometer of youthful opinion even if he still pardoned Nixon.
Ron Reagan, son of Ronald Reagan, is also known to have pushed his own view on the Iran Contra affair in arguments with his parents.
Surely, the Trump haters cannot claim to be unaware of Julie Nixon Eisenhower, who stood so publicly by her father, President Nixon’s side during the Watergate investigations, defending him. She is known to have stood in her father’s place at news conferences, defending him. The Trump hating crowd should not be of any doubt that were Trump to face some political crisis during the course of his tenure, Ivanka would be in the fore front, defending her dad.
Ivanka Trump has already begun rearranging her busy business schedule to make way for additional political responsibilities by her father’s side.
Let us not forget that throughout the combative Trump Campaign, Ivanka kept in close contact with liberals who were even estranged from her dad and in support of Hillary Clinton. Perhaps she would become a sought of political bridge builder for her father. And she would be such a great one. She is one member of the Trump clan that commands so much bipartisan support. If you doubt me, just look at how Al Gore, the second most senior official in Bill Clinton’s administration came down to Trump Tower, at a time when it would be unimaginable for a Bill or Hillary Clinton to pop in for a neighborly call to see Trump.

The clamor to have Ivanka Trump maintain a private life in New York when her dad becomes president seems like a stratagem to keep the Donald away from some of his most effective arsenals. But from what we have seen in Ivanka, it is surely a stratagem that would fail. Because, with her father leaving familiar New York for ‘hostile’ Washington, there is only one place Ivanka sees herself- that his side, defending him, shielding him from the political arrows that are sure to be fired at him.