How Ivanka Trump Has Changed Since Being At The White House
Ivanka Trump knows that a new career path and added responsibilities in the workplace can come with a lot of significant personal changes — and that those changes might start with your appearance. Since leaving her breeding ground of Manhattan for the halls of the West Wing, Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump has evolved in many ways. From her outside appearance to her inner confidence, she barely resembles the person she once was years ago.
Of course, Ivanka Trump is no exception to changing over time, as we all do, but while our own personal growth has mostly happened within our own little worlds, Ivanka's has taken place under the watchful public eye. After growing up in the spotlight, the first daughter has emerged as a powerful political operative and a strategic tool for the White House.
Here are all the ways Ivanka Trump has changed since being in the White House.
Once a wild, rebellious teenager, Ivanka Trump is now a stealthy Washington lobbyist
It shouldn't come as a surprise to find out that Ivanka Trump had some pretty wild times as a teenager. Her supposed billionaire father, after all, owned business after business and garnered national attention due to his casinos, hotels, and apartment complexes, as noted by The New Yorker. As detailed by The Cut, Ivanka hosted an insane birthday party in junior high, where she and 20 girls from her school went to Atlantic City chaperone-free. The girls squished themselves into limousines and reportedly flashed people as they drove down the city streets.
And it appears as if Ivanka continued down her rebellious path. Noted by The Cut, Ivanka dyed her hair blue and listened to grunge music, much to her parents' dismay.
Now all of this seems pretty unbelievable when you think that Ivanka is now known for her cool, calm, and collected persona. Since entering the White House, she's all but abandoned her blue-hair ambitions and now lobbies legislators on both sides of the political aisle in support of her father's political agenda.
Ivanka Trump has traded parties and polo players for important causes like working families
The Trump name has oftentimes been synonymous with outlandish lifestyles, apartments adorned with gold, and international properties. Ivanka Trump understandably took advantage of her familial name and position among New York's finest as a teenager and partied in the Hamptons with friends. As noted by The Cut, she engaged in the frivolous activities a teenage girl could only dream up: talking with polo players from Argentina and partying at nightclubs.
But it seems as if those days are long gone for Ivanka, who now channels her energy into important and worthwhile causes like advocacy for working families and women's rights around the world. As reported by Politico, Ivanka donated all the royalties from her book Women Who Work to women-focused organizations. And within her role in the White House, Ivanka has been a large player in the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative. Since occupying her role as a senior advisor, Ivanka has even traveled internationally to promote women's rights, going on trips to Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia.
Ivanka Trump's public persona has evolved since entering the White House
Practice makes perfect, and Ivanka Trump's public speaking has improved since being in the White House. James Bryce, the CEO of a communications analytics firm called gweek, told Express that Ivanka has become far more "confident" while delivering speeches and talking in front of crowds. Bryce did concede, however, that the improvement could be a result of rehearsals, scripts, and teleprompters.
This isn't the first time that Ivanka's speech has been in the news. As reported by Refinery29, her speaking voice has changed since her days on The Apprentice. Patti Wood, a body language expert, told Refinery29 that Ivanka's "paralanguage" has changed, meaning that her voice's volume, pitch, and facial expressions, among other inclinations, have been altered with time.
Wood reviewed Ivanka's speech given at the 2016 Republic National Convention, saying "everything about her image is much more polished," and that she was speaking in a much more straightforward manner than she had in previous years. "It's a conscious effort on her part to present herself as more educated, sophisticated, and formal," Wood said.
Ivanka Trump traded Manhattan for an office just steps from the Oval Office
There was a time where Ivanka Trump's biggest achievements consisted of her role in the Trump Organization. She used her title as executive vice president to not only get ahead in the business world, but to monopolize and grow in other areas of influence. For instance, she became a published author in 2009, when she released her book The Trump Card, a play-by-play recounting of her successful business career, as noted by Business Insider. She launched the book in no other location than Manhattan, a city that was crucial in her personal and professional life.
But things for Ivanka have since drastically changed since her father became president of the United States. She quickly traded her life in the Manhattan for an unprecedented role in the White House as one of her father's senior advisors. And get this: As noted by Politico, Ivanka occupies her own office in the West Wing — on the second floor, to be exact. And unlike other first children, Ivanka has security clearance and White House-issued communication devices. Talk about an upgrade.
Ivanka Trump was once reportedly encouraged to be more like Paris Hilton
Long gone are the days when Ivanka Trump and Paris Hilton were spotted together at a release party for Hilton's music — like they were in 2006, for Hilton's single "Stars Are Blind." In fact, The Cut reported in 2019 that the first daughter's relationship with the early-2000s icon were strained due to The Donald's obsession over Hilton and her sex tape. According to the magazine, Ivanka was floored (and not in a good way) when her father wouldn't let the subject go. "Paris is laughing all the way to the bank," Donald Trump reportedly said. "She's got the last laugh, she's marvelous."
As noted in the article, Donald reportedly encouraged his daughter to follow in Hilton's footsteps, given how much attention the tape was getting her, though White House secretary Stephanie Grisham has denied this claim. Cut to Donald Trump's administration, and Ivanka's life couldn't look more different than that of Paris Hilton's. As reported by CNN, Donald even put pressure on his chief of staff and the White House's legal counsel to get Ivanka a higher security clearance than recommended. How things have changed.
Ivanka Trump's fashion sense has definitely been elevated since entering the West Wing
Ivanka Trump has done well for herself in the fashion world, and she has made a name for herself with her designer duds and classy style. But her expensive taste has been elevated significantly since joining the White House, as she has often been sighted in $1,000 pants and couture dresses over $10,000. As noted by The Cut, Ivanka was not always the made-up figure she is today. "Five years ago, you might have guessed her future was to be the next generation of the Trump dynasty," The Cut's Vanessa Grigoriadis wrote, adding, "That was what she'd been raised to be, the shiny hood ornament of the Trumps."
Ivanka clearly had bigger plans for herself than just becoming the visual representation of her father's brand, and her fashion evolution since being in the White House is proof of that. Long gone are the days of metallic halter dresses and peep toe heels. Bedazzled mini dresses and strappy sandals also got the axe and were traded for Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, and other expensive designer brands — just look at all the expensive outfits Ivanka Trump has worn!
Ivanka Trump stopped talking about socialites and started talking politics
Finding time for family can always be a bit of a challenge, so Ivanka Trump started spending time with her father, Donald Trump, during his years on The Apprentice. As noted by The Cut, Ivanka and The Donald began bonding during their shared time, and they even got into the habit of talking shop together. "Some people started to notice that they shared another affliction, the Manhattan disease of constantly discussing who was up and who was down in the power structure," The Cut noted.
But Ivanka's life has drastically changed since her time on television. Calling the experience on The Apprentice a "less intense version of real life" during an interview with WWLP-22, Ivanka has now all but left the frivolities of television and has traded it for the very real scenarios of political life.
As a high-profile member of her father's administration, Ivanka has continued her years-long commitment to the family business and name. As reported by Politico, the first daughter sees "nothing unusual" about her influential role in the White House. "It's simply how she has worked with her father for years," Politico noted.
Since joining the White House, Ivanka Trump's finances have shifted hands
When her father won the presidency in 2016, Ivanka Trump knew her finances would become a hot topic. So when the time came for The Donald to assume office and for the first daughter to take on a new position in his administration, Ivanka stepped away from the Trump Organization and her fashion line. She did, however, keep some stake in her family's business and, as noted by The New York Times, has continued to profit from Trump International Hotel while occupying the White House.
However, Politico reported in 2017 that Ivanka had "divested her common stock, tech investments, [and] investment funds" and had handed over the reins of financial control to her husband, Jared Kushner. The move prompted her divestment to appear on her husband's 278 financial disclosure form, which was required for all nominees to Trump's cabinet.
The couple's money and financial interests were of keen interest to the United States government when they assumed roles in the White House, and The New York Times reported in 2017 that the couple still benefitted from $740 million worth of real estate and business investments, even after joining the administration.
Ivanka Trump has reportedly used her White House position for business dealings
There's nothing wrong with using pre-established connections to get ahead in career aspirations, but this evolution on Ivanka Trump's part does seem a little fishy. As reported by The New York Times, Ivanka attended a Trump Tower meeting just one week after Donald Trump won the presidency where she sat down with the then-president elect and Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister. The details of the meetings were not released, as members of the press were not privy to the exchange, but The Times reported that Ivanka's fashion line was being simultaneously promoted at a two-day private viewing in Japan.
The fallout wasn't great, and it was detailed in part by Vogue. According to the magazine, after the report of the meeting was published, the deal that was being struck between Ivanka Trump's fashion line and Sanei — a Japanese clothing company whose parent company is owned by Japan's government — fell through.
Ivanka Trump exchanged her fashion brand for the role of Senior Advisor
Ivanka Trump had a lot to consider when taking on a role in the White House — her former life in New York, her family, her affiliation with the Trump Organization, and more. But she clearly knew that a role in her father's administration was what she wanted to pursue because in she traded her position at her own fashion line for her position in the White House in 2017. As reported by Politico at the time, Ivanka removed herself as much as possible "from the day-to-day operations" of the brand and even placed her business interests in a trust.
But as the report carried on, the intricacies of her relationship to the fashion line got messy very quickly. "The one thing I would like to be clear on: we don't believe it eliminates conflicts in every way," Jamie Gorelick, Ivanka's attorney, said to Politico. "She has the conflicts that derive from the ownership of this brand. We're trying to minimize those to the extent possible."
Ivanka Trump ultimately closed her clothing and shoe line since entering in the White House
All good things must come to an end, and arguably one of the biggest changes Ivanka Trump has had to endure since joining the White House was the demise of her fashion line. In 2018, The New York Times reported that Ivanka was set to close the fashion line in order to make political policy and her Washington occupation her priority. "After 17 months in Washington, I do not know when or if I will ever return to the business," Ivanka said at the time, "but I do know that my focus for the foreseeable future will be the work I am doing here in Washington, so making this decision now is the only fair outcome for my team and partners."
But according to Town & Country, Ivanka reportedly pulled the plug on her fashion line due to mounting frustrations about the ethics of her involvement with the company. After enduring accusations about conflicting interests, it's no wonder that Ivanka was looking to wipe her hands clean of the scandal-riddled line.
Ivanka Trump went from the cover of Stuff Magazine to the cover of Forbes Life
We're completely here for self improvement and career growth, and if we're looking at Ivanka Trump, her career and time in the spotlight has only improved with time. As noted by The Cut, Ivanka was on the fashion and modeling path for some time. She even appeared "boobs-out on the cover of an issue of Stuff magazine" back in the day. But she has since abandoned that Barbie doll past and has traded it for diplomacy and foreign affairs.
As her career evolved, she appeared on the cover of the reputable business magazine Forbes Life in 2013. As noted by Politico, the Forbes cover depicted Ivanka as the "emerging power behind the family empire." Instead of having Ivanka posing in a strapless dress and a ton of makeup, the Forbes cover shoot featured a classy, sophisticated Ivanka. Pictured in a black dress with a high neckline, gold jewelry, and her go-to middle part bun hairstyle while seated at a bistro table, it was quite the departure from her early days as model.
Ivanka Trump's earnings since entering the West Wing have gone down... slightly
Well here are some numbers that are sure to make your eyes widen. Since entering the White House, Ivanka Trump's finances have taken a slight hit. As reported by The New York Times, Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner endured a downturn in their finances from 2017 to 2018. What was the damage, you might ask? They only made between $29 million and $135 million that year, a lower range than they had disclosed the year prior.
You may be wondering where all those millions came from, and luckily The New York Times delivered the information. Kushner earned most of his money in the 2018 fiscal year due to his partial ownership of real-estate company Kushner Companies. Though he took a step back from the company when assuming a role in the White House, he still received a fair income from the family-owned business. Ivanka, on the other hand, raked in between $6.7 million and $10.7 million on her own due to the stakes she had in her fashion line and Trump-owned businesses. Specifically, she earned about $4 million from the Trump International Hotel located in Washington alone.
Ivanka Trump now polls better than her father in the swing states
A summer in the Hamptons sounds great, and Ivanka Trump did just that, according to The Cut. She spent time in the area as a teenager, enjoyed the cottages and the beachside, and most likely didn't expect that she'd one day be a popular political figure.
As noted by The Cut, supporters of her father initially saw Ivanka, back in the early days of the 2016 campaign, as a "shifty liberal" — perhaps due to her friendship with Chelsea Clinton. As reported in The New York Times, Trump voters only really knew her for two reasons: She used to be on The Apprentice, and she had a clothing line available for purchase at their local Macy's department store.
But as time progressed and Ivanka solidified herself in the White House, she became a star among Donald Trump's supporters and even polls better than her father in some of the country's swing states. There was even speculation that she would replace Vice President Mike Pence on the 2020 ticket, though that didn't end up happening. Fans have since dreamed about what a 2024 run for office might look like for Ivanka.
Ivanka Trump needs to come up with a plan for her post-White House life
It seems like no one in politics thinks that everyone loves them — and if they do, maybe they should work on that. But Ivanka Trump has had to envision what life will look like after her time in the White House, and, according to The Cut, that reality doesn't look great. The magazine reported that Ivanka's friends and confidants are becoming "fewer and fewer," in part due to the unpopular decisions and drama that has encircled her father's presidency.
"Friends seem to think Ivanka won't come home to New York after Washington," The Cut's Vanessa Grigoriadis reported. "She's too thin-skinned for that, too likely to be hurt by slights."
It doesn't come as a huge shock. The Trumps' time in politics has led to a lot of changes in their social circles and status in New York — a city that was the center of their professional lives. Celebrities who once sent gifts to Donald Trump's son Barron have actively spoken against Donald and his administration. All we know is that Zillow might become Ivanka's best friend in the future.