During the time her father, Donald Trump, was in the White House, Ivanka Trump transitioned from being a successful businesswoman to an advisor. While much was known about her professional role and appearances, the dynamics within the Trump family during these years remained largely private, including the question of whether Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, plan to continue in politics.

Throughout their lives together, Ivanka has maintained a close bond with her father. Recently, she made a light-hearted remark about her father, which the Washington Post found “cringey.” The moment was all part of the unique relationship she shares with her family.

Ivanka is no stranger to the public eye. Born into the Trump family, she was familiar with her father’s reputation as a prominent businessman and television figure long before he became the 45th President of the United States.

Growing Up in the Trump Family

With her family setting high standards, Ivanka and her siblings attended prestigious schools and eventually carved out careers within the vast Trump enterprise.

Ivanka has tried her hand at various ventures, from modeling to launching her own brands. But after serving as an advisor in the White House, she’s at a pivotal moment deciding what her next move will be.

Alongside her professional journey, Ivanka married Jared Kushner and is raising their children. It seems there’s still much more to come from her in the future.

Her relationship with her father has always been strong, yet she kept a significant secret from him during her younger years. It appears that Jared Kushner was the first boyfriend Ivanka introduced to Donald Trump, hinting at the close-knit nature of their family.

But how did Ivanka Trump manage to take on an advisory role in the White House? And how did she juggle the responsibilities of parenting with the rigorous demands of her father’s 2016 campaign? Let’s delve into the life of Ivanka, one of Donald Trump’s most recognized children.

Ivanka’s Formative Years

Born on October 30, 1981, in Manhattan, New York City, Ivanka Trump grew up with her mother Ivana, a Czech-American model, and her father Donald Trump. When Ivanka was ten, her parents divorced, following a turbulent 13-month legal battle over financial settlements. Ivana received $25 million and custody of their children, as well as a divorce due to “cruel and inhumane treatment.” In the aftermath of these events, Ivanka was sent to boarding school.

Initially, Ivanka attended the Chapin School before transferring to the prestigious Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut, at age 15.

Throughout these years, Ivanka wasn’t exactly a rebellious teen, but her mother sometimes disapproved of her activities.

“I think my mom threatened to put me up for adoption a few times,” she shared in a 2007 interview with Marie Claire.

Starting a Modeling Career

While attending Choate Rosemary Hall, Ivanka shared a room with two other girls. On the surface, she seemed like a typical teenager, yet she stood out in some ways—for instance, she was the only student with a car and a mobile phone. Despite her good grades, Ivanka found life at boarding school challenging.

“All my friends in New York were having fun, and suddenly I was in the discipline-bound life of boarding school,” she recalled. Although her family was affluent, Ivana motivated Ivanka to be independent, suggesting she might have to pay her phone bills herself. This nudged Ivanka to start earning her own money.

Initially, Ivanka modeled for Versace and appeared on the cover of Seventeen magazine in 1997.

Despite her involvement, Ivanka admitted that modeling was not her ultimate ambition. “I didn’t enjoy it much. It’s a tough industry, and the people you meet there are as tough as those in real estate,” she said.

Escaping the Norm

“I used modeling as an excuse for travel,” she explained. “It broke the monotony. It was great, but it has become a confusing aspect of my past. I still get asked, ‘How’s modeling going?’ and I wish people remembered me for something more serious, haha!”

Looking out over the skyline from a friend’s window, she dreamed of a future where she influenced the ever-growing New York City. “There was a gap—a beautiful space for a tower in the cityscape,” she recounted, emphasizing her ambition as a true New Yorker.

Ivanka pursued higher education at Georgetown University for two years before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 2004. Shortly after, she began working with developer Bruce Ratner.

She left her position after a year to join the family business, and both her father and producer Mark Burnett wanted her to be a part of “The Apprentice”. Initially hesitant, she eventually agreed.

“For ‘Trump’ to endure, it can’t be only about my father,” she reflected. “It has to be about the family, and shows like ‘The Apprentice’ help create that larger context. That’s why I chose to do it.”

A Secret Kept Well

Though Ivanka might not have had many secrets from her father, there was one she always kept hidden. She never introduced her boyfriends to Donald Trump; they remained like secrets in her life. Why? As she told the Express, “I was too smart to bring home a date or a boyfriend; Jared Kushner was the first one to meet Daddy Donald.”

Ivanka elaborated, “I only brought home my husband, though he wasn’t my husband then. Unless I was entirely sure, I wouldn’t subject boyfriends to my parent’s scrutiny.”

In 2011, Ivanka and Jared welcomed their daughter, Arabella Rose; their son, Joseph Frederick, was born in 2013, and their third child, Theodore James, arrived in 2016.

Life with Her Children

Juggling numerous responsibilities was undoubtedly challenging. Ivanka admitted, “My life is very busy now—I am tired 90% of the time. But while motherhood is the most rewarding experience, it is also the most unpredictable and demanding job.”

In 2016, when Donald won the presidency, Ivanka found her place within the administration with her husband, Jared, and her brothers, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric. Her focus as an advisor was on “educating and promoting economic empowerment for women and their families, job creation, and economic growth through workforce development, skills training, and entrepreneurship.”

In 2019, Ivanka represented her father at the annual Gridiron dinner, a long-standing event for political figures and journalists to exchange jokes and socialize. Ivanka and Jared stood in for Donald Trump at the celebration.

At the dinner with over 700 guests, Ivanka ribbed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s plans to transition from fossil fuels and create green jobs, adding, “When my father asked if I would represent him tonight—yes, this isn’t a joke—I hadn’t prepared any jokes. I feared the most humorous thing I could do was read from the Green New Deal.” If being Donald Trump’s daughter wasn’t already challenging, Ivanka noted she often faced critiques for encouraging others to work despite her privileged background, garnering what the media called a “cringeworthy laugh.”

Ivanka faced criticism for her time at the White House, including a 2020 lawsuit by a San Francisco clothing company asserting she “exploited the White House’s power for private gain.”

This lawsuit claimed Ivanka’s brand promoted its goods at government events for personal profit, though Columbia Law School’s John Coffee regarded the case as “not very strong.”

Since Donald Trump’s departure from the White House after the 2020 election, Ivanka has maintained a reserved public profile, even appearing emotional during his farewell speech at Joint Base Andrews.

What lies ahead for Ivanka is anyone’s guess—there are ongoing speculations about her potentially stepping into politics, possibly even running for president in 2024. However, a former White House advisor told Politico she is likely to take a break following her time in the White House. As her future unfolds, there is still much more to discover about Ivanka Trump in the months and years to come.