Ivanka Trump's Daughter Arabella Is Growing Up Fast
A few years prior to former President Donald Trump's bid for the White House, he became the grandfather of Arabella Rose Kushner. Arabella was born to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in 2011. Ivanka took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce the news. "This morning @jaredkushner and I welcomed a beautiful and healthy little baby girl into the world," she tweeted. Proud grandfather Donald revealed his granddaughter's name on "Fox and Friends," saying that "the baby is beautiful" (via People). Soon enough, Ivanka took to X again to share that she and her husband couldn't get enough of their baby girl. "Jared and I are having so much fun playing with our daughter! Arabella Rose is beyond adorable. She's truly a blessing," her post read.
Arabella's name has a special meaning, and Ivanka explained to Today why she and Jared chose it. "Jared's grandmothers had names beginning with an A and an R. We wanted to pay a subtle homage to those two strong and wonderful women while also adopting a name that was very unique. Plus, we thought that the initials, ARK, were cool!" she said.
When your grandfather was the president of the United States, and your mother was his advisor, people tend to remember your name. While Arabella has lived her life mostly out of the spotlight, she's had some one-of-a-kind opportunities thanks to her mother's political career. Let's take a look at how she's grown up over the years.
Arabella began piano, ballet, and Mandarin lessons at a young age
Arabella Kushner is a jack of all trades, so to speak. Her mom, Ivanka Trump, has encouraged her to fill her time with plenty of extracurricular activities, which include ballet and piano lessons as well as Mandarin Chinese tutoring.
Ivanka used to take piano lessons as a child but didn't commit to it. In 2011, Donald Trump's daughter took to Facebook to share that she was starting piano lessons again after a 15-year hiatus. "I'm working on my goal of learning how to play so that I can eventually teach Arabella," she shared in the post. It's unclear whether Ivanka ended up teaching her daughter or if she got a teacher involved, but in 2016, she posted a video of Arabella playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on the family's grand piano. During an interview with Fit Pregnancy (via The Sun), Ivanka said that Arabella loves learning the instrument.
It might be safe to say that Ivanka and Jared Kushner's daughter enjoyed her ballet lessons as well. In 2015, Arabella accompanied her mom to the Lincoln Center in New York to watch "Cinderella" performed by the American Ballet Theatre. She even dressed the part for the occasion, wearing sparkly flats and a pale pink dress. Ivanka has also shown off Arabella's Mandarin skills on social media. In 2016, she shared a video on Instagram of Arabella reciting Mandarin poetry in celebration of the Chinese New Year.
Arabella loves to celebrate Hanukkah
In 2017, an excited Ivanka Trump took to X (then Twitter) to post her daughter Arabella Kushner's Student Spotlight interview. Arabella was just shy of 6 years old at the time, and the questionnaire included a question about her favorite holiday. "Hanukkah because I get presents!" her answer read. Ivanka converted to the Jewish religion when she married her husband, Jared Kushner, in 2009, and the couple are raising their kids with the same religious beliefs.
The questionnaire didn't just reveal Arabella's favorite holiday, however. It also came to light that she wanted to be a Marine when she grew up, loved watching "Paw Patrol," and enjoyed indulging in copious amounts of ice cream. Alternatively, if Arabella was a bird, she would've preferred to be a jay that eats a thousand worms a day. Clearly, she inherited some of her mom's ambition.
Donald Trump's daughter received some criticism for sharing Arabella's quiz, with some saying it was inappropriate, given that she used that same account to promote her political agendas. "Arabella may be partial to ice cream and rainbows and the Star of David — but she deserves to be treated as a real and private little girl, not a prop," Times of Israel journalist Marcy Oster remarked in an opinion piece.
Arabella visited the White House with her mom
Sure, the White House has tours for us commoners, but when you're Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's daughter, you can bet your White House tour includes some special VIP privileges, like meeting the vice president and chief of staff. In July 2017, Ivanka took her daughter, Arabella Kushner, on a trip to the White House, and, as Ivanka put it in a Facebook post, Arabella most enjoyed meeting then-Vice President Mike Pence and the current chief of staff.
When Arabella's family first moved to Washington, D.C. after Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election, she was just 5 years old. She had to trade her New York City life to go live in a $5.5 million Washington mansion with Ivanka and Jared. Of course, moving to a different city isn't usually something kids enjoy, but Ivanka explained the reason for the move to Arabella and her siblings in the best way she could. "I tell them that their grandfather is going to Washington, D.C., with the goal of helping as many people as he possibly can, and that their father and I want to contribute to that in any way that we are able," Ivanka told ABC News' "20/20." Washington might not be New York, but Arabella got to have some pretty cool experiences while she lived there with her parents.
Arabella had the opportunity to visit the Supreme Court with her mom
In February 2017, Arabella Kushner made headlines when she accompanied her mom to the Supreme Court. A court spokesperson told CNN that Ivanka Trump was there to sit in on some oral arguments, and she brought her daughter along for the experience. Donald Trump's granddaughter was 5 years old at the time, and Ivanka thought it important to start teaching the youngster about the country's judicial system.
Arabella posed with her mom on the court's front steps for a picture, which Ivanka posted to Instagram soon after. "Arabella & me at the Supreme Court today," she wrote. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to teach her about the judicial system in our country firsthand." Moving from New York City to Washington, D.C. might have been an adjustment for the Kushners, but it most certainly presented Arabella with unique learning opportunities.
Arabella has shown off her singing skills to some very important people
When Arabella Kushner was just 6 years old, she got to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping when he paid an official visit to the U.S. in 2017. Meeting him isn't where their encounter ended, however. Her mom, Ivanka Trump, later posted a video to X (then Twitter) that showed Arabella and her brother, Joseph Kushner, singing for Jinping. In the video, Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, can be seen accompanying Arabella and Joseph to meet the president. "We wanted to make you feel at home," Ivanka can be heard saying, after which both her children politely greet the president.
After the official introductions were over, Arabella performed a song for the president and his wife, Madame Peng Liyuan. Of course, Arabella's maternal grandfather, Donald Trump, was also in the room, and he looked on proudly as she sang for their guests. The Chinese president and his wife looked very impressed with her performance.
Arabella performed for Jinping once again later that year when Donald Trump made a video of her singing a popular children's song in Mandarin to take along on his trip to China. As a bonus, Arabella also recited some poems in Mandarin. The video quickly went viral on Chinese social media platforms, garnering millions of views, and people were impressed with how fluent her Mandarin is. Mashable went as far as to call Arabella "Trump's greatest diplomat in China" after the video made the internet rounds.
Arabella attended some coding classes with her mom
Arabella Kushner might be an aspiring ballet dancer, singer, pianist, and fluent Mandarin speaker, but those are not the only skills she's been honing from a young age. In 2017, Ivanka Trump took to X (then Twitter) to share that she and Arabella were taking coding classes together.
Donald Trump's former advisor has expressed her support for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) during her father's time in the White House and while she delivered a speech at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum (via CNN), she emphasized the importance of helping women pursue careers in STEM. In her X post, Ivanka called coding "the language of the future," and it appears she's preparing Arabella to speak that language fluently once she enters the working world. "As a mom, I am trying to do my part, as well. My daughter, Arabella, and I are enrolling in a coding class this summer," Ivanka said during her speech, challenging everyone present to rise to the opportunity to bring more women into the industry. She added that she and Arabella were very excited to take on the challenge of coding. If her other accomplishments are any indication, Ivanka and Jared Kushner's daughter can probably code up a storm by now.
Arabella switched schools during the COVID-19 pandemic
It's no secret that the Trump administration didn't exactly adhere to all of the CDC's guidelines regarding COVID-19. Amid the pandemic, Donald Trump's team continued to host large gatherings with no masks in sight. This didn't sit well with some parents of kids who were attending the Jewish day school, Milton Gottesman, in Washington D.C., where Arabella Kushner and her siblings went. Parents (most of whom remained anonymous) told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that they were worried Arabella and her brothers would spread the virus to their children since their parents weren't complying with the pandemic protocols or quarantine guidelines the school had implemented. One of these guidelines requested that parents avoid attending large gatherings to curb the spread.
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner did no such thing, and evidently, the parents of Arabella's classmates weren't happy. "There was concern for the safety of children because it was very clear the Kushner parents were violating public health recommendations," one mother told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "At the same time of rising cases in the states and children going back to school, we were seeing the Kushners violating quarantine requirements," she added. Since Arabella was still so young at this time, one could hardly expect her to tell her parents to suck it up and stick to the rules.
Arabella ended up switching schools and was enrolled in the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy in Maryland. Whether the switch was a direct result of the backlash is unclear.
Arabella sometimes goes horseback riding with her mom
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's eldest kid has many sides — there's the dancer and pianist, and then there's the budding equestrian. Yup, Arabella Kushner also enjoys horseback riding, and she and her mom were caught on camera riding together while they were visiting Spain in 2022.
The two were photographed taking a leisurely ride along the beach, with Ivanka taking to her Instagram Stories to share the moment with the rest of the world. "Riding as the sun sets with Arabella," she captioned the post (via the Daily Mail).
Those in the know would be aware that Arabella doesn't just ride for fun. Ivanka has previously posted pictures of her daughter doing show jumping, and Arabella was seen going for horseback riding lessons in 2022. On Arabella's 12th birthday, Ivanka took to Instagram to wish her a happy birthday, and a few of the pictures accompanying the sweet message included Arabella on horseback. Ivanka described her daughter as the light of their family's life and touted her kindness. "Watching you grow into the amazing young woman you are is a true blessing," she wrote in the caption. One of the images in the post showed Arabella taking part in show jumping, while another was a beautiful shot of her riding a horse bareback. Perhaps we'll see Arabella taking part in some equestrian competitions in the future.
Arabella has been involved with some charity work
When Ivanka Trump took to Instagram to celebrate Arabella Kushner's bat mitzvah, she mentioned in passing that Arabella was already involved with some philanthropic projects and that she couldn't be more proud of her. Arabella has volunteered at the Jewish Community Service Kosher Food Bank, which provides kosher food to Jewish people in need. The organization is the only one of its kind in Miami-Dade County and supports over 400 families, some of whom are Holocaust survivors.
Other organizations she supports are Whispering Manes and the Friendship Circle. The former is an organization that uses horse therapy to enhance the lives of adults and children who have disabilities and special needs; given Arabella's fondness for horses, her support of this organization makes perfect sense. The latter is an organization that aims to connect people with special needs so they don't remain isolated but instead make friends with others who understand what they're going through. At such a young age, it's clear that Arabella has a good heart and a passion for helping others.
Arabella's bat mitzvah was very special
Arabella Kushner celebrated her bat mitzvah in July 2023, about a week before her birthday. It was a very special occasion attended by her close family members. A week before the big event, Arabella's grandfather, Donald Trump, hosted a birthday dinner especially for her at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Ivanka revealed this when she took to her Instagram Stories to thank her dad and step-mom, Melania Trump, for the sweet gesture. "It was very special. We love you both so much!" she captioned the post (via Page Six).
Arabella's family all dressed in their best for her bat mitzvah. Her dad, Jared Kushner, and her two younger brothers, Joseph and Theodore, wore matching tan suits, and her mom sparkled in a blue dress. When looking at the pictures, it appears that Arabella's family tried to coordinate with her bat mitzvah dress, and it looked great.
Pictures Ivanka posted of the bat mitzvah proved that it was a beautiful event. One very special photograph shows Arabella beaming as she dances with her dad, while another shows her posing in front of a flowery backdrop lit by her name. In the Instagram post Ivanka shared after the bat mitzvah, she expressed how proud she is of her daughter. "Her kindness, creativity, humor, empathy and passion have filled our lives with so much joy and inspiration. May her Bat Mitzvah be the beginning of a beautiful and fulfilling chapter in her life," she wrote.
Arabella looked all grown up in her designer bat mitzvah dress
You only get to have your bat mitzvah once, and Arabella Kushner went all out to celebrate this big milestone ahead of her 13th birthday — she even had a dress made for the occasion. It's no secret that Arabella's mom, Ivanka Trump, is a fashion queen, and she set the whole bat mitzvah designer dress project in motion, collaborating with Custom by Zoe to create the perfect dress for her daughter's special day. Prep for the dress started as early as January 2023 (the bat mitzvah took place in July). Custom by Zoe seemed very excited at the prospect of designing a dress for Arabella and told Women's Wear Daily that dressing her for this milestone celebration was an absolute pleasure. "We are honored to bring the vision alive. Arabella looks absolutely magnificent," a representative of the company said.
This wasn't the only dress Arabella had made, however. The birthday dinner her grandfather, Donald Trump, hosted for her at Mar-a-Lago also warranted a special dress designed by Custom by Zoe. The bat mitzvah celebration post Ivanka shared on Instagram includes some of the birthday dinner photos, in which Arabella can be seen wearing a white dress with embroidered flowers.
One thing's for sure, the Kushners know how to dress to impress, and we can't wait to see how Arabella's fashion taste evolves as she grows older.