Ivanka Trump has West Wing office and will get access to classified information

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Independent of her father, President Trump, Ivanka Trump comes across as a polished, well-spoken, well intended, grounded young woman. I would even go as far as to say that with some maturity and greater exposure outside the rarified existence within which she was raised and still exists, she could have the makings of a good if not a great politician. Her primary platforms matter to a vast sector of the U.S. population. Unfortunately, her ideas of how to implement change are out of step with what works for average Americans on fixed incomes and those for which cash flow is an ongoing concern. She is, one could say, well-meaning but somewhat out of touch.

Throughout her father's campaign, we watched Ivanka very carefully navigate treacherous waters, demonstrating support for her father, carefully choosing to spend time commenting on his "good" qualities like tenacity and drive while avoiding the quagmire of addressing his very controversial statements or actions. She was noticeably absent and outside range of reporters at the thorniest of moments. I could go so far as to say that, at a certain point, I was a bit of a fan of Ivanka's and I do believe that she is a person of substance. Unfortunately, that does not allow me to avoid addressing two very obvious and detrimental points. Firstly, Ivanka has �Daddy issues� and, secondly, with Daddy as President she is being led down a wholly inappropriate path that is sullying her image and bringing her judgment into question.

Firstly, �Daddy issues�, I am sorry to put it out there in such terms but if one takes a good look at his behavior and her response to it one is seriously left wondering. Her father had a shamelessly public extra-marital affair, humiliated her mother whom he abused during the marriage (which included an alleged rape). The court's stated it was 'unsafe or improper for them to be married.' Post-divorce, several articles have claimed that Ivanka sought more approval, more attention, and more time from her father. Regardless, whether this is true of not, it is hard to imagine how it is they could be as close as they are today given history (and my guess is he didn't apologize for pulling their family apart and attend counseling sessions with Ivanka to repair their relationship). I had seen her decision to marry Jared Kushner, an Orthodox Jew, and convert to Judaism herself as a very bold and independent move. However, with further research I now wonder about the degree of manipulation and influence, President Trump is capable of wielding. In a September 1990 Vanity Fair article Ivana Trump told her lawyer Michael Kennedy that from time to time her husband reads a book of Hitler's collected speeches, My New Order, which he kept in a cabinet by his bed. Trump's interest in Hitler is a topic more deeply discussed in this and other articles. Trump, excuse me, President Trump appointed a man accused of denying the Holocaust as one of his advisers and tweeted graphics that incorporate anti-Semitic imagery. It's understandably difficult for Jews to embrace a candidate who told a room full of Jewish Republicans that he's a �negotiator like you folks,� and who has been reluctant to condemn white supremacists in interviews. And so I ask? How is that reconciled? Is Jared Kushner someone Trump likes and respects or simply someone he can control? How has Kushner rationalized this himself? When one steps back and takes a look at the situation, it is illogical and reeks of dysfunction.

Nepotism is rampant in corporate America, but there are environments in which it is very obviously morally inappropriate. What if a surgeon decided to include their eldest child in their practice and impart information that would normally be protected under doctor-patient confidentiality to this child on the basis that they agree to handle it as if they were, themselves, a licensed physician? Would this be ok? Would it be allowed to happen? No, of course not. So? What about conduct in the highest office in the Country? Has Trump surrounded himself solely with those who are going to allow him to exist in a bubble where, regardless of protocol, he can do as he likes?

The real shame here is not the impact on President Trump; it is the backlash of bad press that will be worn by Ivanka not to mention how demeaning it is to every other White House Staffer who earned their position. At one point in this journey, I thought Ivanka was being savvy and positioning herself for a political future, however, this current state of events calls all of that into question. Is she thinking at all? For her to be comfortable with a reality where she will have access to highly classified information in-line with being a high-level White House staffer while holding no official position whatsoever paints her as either grossly entitled or possessing no capacity as an adult to say "No" to her father. I suppose that it could also be the temptation of the buffet of rarified moments and experiences that lay in front of her eroding her former decorum and (seemingly) good sense?

The rules that dictate the manner in which Government functions in the process of governing the U.S.A. came to exist over a period of 241 years. They cannot be unilaterally flagrantly disregarded while the entire Country looks on. Oh, wait...apparently they can be if you are President Trump or a member of his immediate family. The question is... is it their choice or his alone? I have to believe that Ivanka has enough sense to save herself and autocorrect as the backlash builds but, then again, perhaps not. Only time will tell.

Written by Celia Myers Martin

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