Donald Trump's Feelings About Ivanka's Husband Hint Their Rift Is More Personal Than Political

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Once upon a time, it seemed like Jared Kushner had cemented his place in his father-in-law Donald Trump's inner circle. After all, Ivanka Trump's husband was widely seen as an unofficial campaign manager for the Republican politician's run for office in 2016 and even served as a senior adviser to him during his first administration. However, in 2021, insiders informed CNN that Donald and Kushner had grown apart after his first presidency. 

They claimed that Donald's infamous ego couldn't handle the thought of the world believing that Kushner was the mastermind behind some of his so-called accomplishments. Meanwhile, the businessman had apparently grown weary of listening to his father-in-law talk about the same issues over and over again. However, in 2025, a Daily Mail source claimed that there was a lesser-discussed pain point in Kushner and Donald's relationship: money. "The thing nobody ever talks about is how much Trump complains about Jared," the confidant shared. "No one has ever made more money out of Donald Trump than Jared Kushner." 

In the past, insiders and authors have claimed that Donald has mixed feelings about Kushner. In former New York Times journalists Alexander "Alex" Burns and Jonathan Martin's 2022 book, "This Will Not Pass," they wrote that the outspoken politician bestowed some high praise on his son-in-law during a golf game, labeling him "the smartest guy [he'd] ever met" (via Business Insider). Strangely, in the next breath, he poked fun at Kushner's ineptitude at football and noted that his eldest daughter could have walked down the aisle to Tom Brady if she wanted.

According to seasoned journalist Maggie Haberman's 2022 book "Confidence Man," Donald Trump had some harsh words for Jared Kushner after watching him give a televised speech in 2017. Per Forward, in addition to telling his aides that, "He sounds like a child," Donald made his disgust for Jared clear by making a face. Haberman also claimed that Donald didn't think that his son-in-law was capable of braving the outdoors on an RV camping trip with Ivanka Trump. 

Haberman shared how the Republican politician would talk about his son-in-law behind his back, writing, "In private, [Donald] often diminished [Jared], mocking him as effete, and seemed to delight in needling in front of others." Moreover, the journalist claimed that the former "The Apprentice" host desperately wanted Ivanka and her husband to step down from their government positions during his first administration. He even seriously considered using a tweet to fire them by claiming that they were leaving their government jobs. However, his former chief of staff, General John Kelly, deterred him from the controversial move. 

Everything that reportedly transpired behind the scenes also supports the feeling that Ivanka and Jared's no-show at Donald's birthday in 2025 was a shady move. According to reporting by TMZ and a Page Six source, his reported favorite daughter attended her brother-in-law Josh Kushner's birthday party in New York City. That event took place a few days before the president's ego-boosting military parade, which meant that Ivanka was closer to Washington, D.C., at the time of her father's grand celebration than she would be in her home in Florida — and yet she chose not to attend.