Ivanka Trump's Political Loyalty May Not Rest With Donald, According To Kamala Harris

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Ivanka Trump permanently removed herself from politics after acting as a senior White House advisor to her father during his first term in office. And though she cited family as her reason for keeping away, could her history with Democratic politician Kamala Harris have something to do with it? According to Harris, who spoke about Ivanka in her forthcoming memoir, "107 Days," Donald Trump once alluded to his daughter's fondness for her.

In an excerpt from the book, published by The New York Times ahead of its September 23 release, Harris described a phone call she had with Donald, who — based on what Harris wrote — was privately cordial with his political opponent, despite slamming her in public. Strangely, during the phone call, the then-Republican presidential nominee told Harris that Ivanka was an admirer of hers. The former vice president interpreted Donald's benevolence as a scheme. "He's a con man. He's really good at it," she wrote, per The Times. "I'd readied myself for a phone conversation with Mr. Hyde, but Dr. Jekyll had picked up the call." However, Ivanka's charitable history with Harris suggests that what Donald said about his daughter could be true.

It's no secret that the Trump family has an unfaltering disdain for Kamala Harris; they've saddled her with quite a few wild nicknames over the years. But a little over a decade ago, Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump contributed to Harris' re-election campaign for California attorney general. By February 2013, Donald had donated $6,000 to the Harris campaign, per The Washington Post, while his daughter donated $2,000 in 2014. A Harris spokesperson told The Post that the funds were not used toward her campaign.

Steven Cheung, a representative for Donald, told People in July 2024 — when the story gained traction — that it was a business tactic. "At that time, some 15 years ago, President Trump was a global businessman and knew how to play the game and win the game with corrupt politicians like Kamala Harris," said Cheung. As for Ivanka, she has stayed mum on the subject. In a 2020 New York Times interview that covered her transition from affiliating with the Democratic party to the Republican, Ivanka explained, "In areas outside of my portfolio, I tend to agree more with the more conservative viewpoint more often than where the Democrats are today ... No one person or party has a monopoly on good ideas."