Ivanka Trump's journey to find a position in the White House

As the daughter of US President Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump did not rely on her father's influence to get a position in the White House.

Create your own precedent

It is not First Lady Melania Trump but her daughter Ivanka Trump who is often present with President Donald Trump at important events in the United States.

President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka, has found a place for herself in her father's administration. Photo: Reuters

Ivanka Trump accompanied her father on visits to the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Boeing factory in South Carolina, among other visits.

However, not satisfied with her current position as First Daughter, Ivanka Trump has made great efforts to get an official role in the White House - something unprecedented in history.

Ivanka Trump herself is also very aware of this: "Although there is no precedent for a child of the President to play an official role in the White House, I am always ready to comply with all ethical regulations applicable to all US Government employees."

Ivanka Trump's statement came after she officially took over an office in the West Wing of the White House. Security for her has also been increased and she has been provided with communication equipment according to the standards of US government agencies.

Familiar faces

According to experts, Ivanka Trump's statement shows that she wants to play a more proactive role in the administration of US President Donald Trump even though she is "no stranger to the White House".

Mr. Trump's daughter not only participated in official family events such as the Presidential inauguration but also in a series of closed-door meetings with world leaders afterward.

In February, Ivanka Trump met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House when he was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion on the role of women entrepreneurs. She also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Most recently, Trump's daughter sat to the right of German Chancellor Angela Merkel when she visited the White House last week.

While Ivanka's appearance at the roundtable with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is said to be due to her business experience, having owned a fashion brand bearing her name and playing an important role in Mr. Trump's real estate empire, her appearances at other events are considered to demonstrate another "passion" of hers.

When US President Donald Trump opened a dialogue session on human trafficking in the US and around the world on February 23, he thanked his daughter and senior advisor Dina Powell “for their great efforts” to set up the forum.

“It is clear that Ivanka Trump has spent a lot of time observing all activities in the White House and realized that she can make a difference and influence many issues. She not only focuses on the issues that she cares about but also wants the President to pay attention to those issues,” said Ms. Anita McBride, Assistant to former President George W. Bush.

If the name is right, things will go smoothly?

The only thing Ivanka Trump lacks is an official title. However, according to ABC News political commentator, an official title is not necessarily going to make Ivanka Trump's role more prominent.

“The more official responsibilities she is given, the more her real influence will be diminished. Her influence will be much greater if she remains an anonymous adviser and can comfortably declare that I am his daughter and want to support his work,” said the channel’s political analyst.ABC NewsCokie Roberts commented.

According to Cokie Roberts, Ivanka Trump may not be the first First Daughter to participate in government affairs, but her role in the Trump administration may be the biggest ever.

Ms. Roberts also cited the fact that President James Monroe's daughter, Eliza Monroe Hay, once served as First Daughter at the White House because her mother was too ill to attend official events.

There have been cases where First Ladies have acted as advisors to their husbands, but according to Ms. Roberts: “I have not seen any First Daughters in history play this role.”

Skeptical opinions

Meanwhile, Kathleen Clark, an ethics expert at the University of Washington, said that placing Ivanka Trump in the position of Trump's assistant is "extremely unbelievable".

“This is a very troubling issue because the White House is trying to make it seem as if they can give someone the responsibility of being a government employee but not be bound by the same ethics rules as any government employee.

“Although they have asserted that Ivanka Trump is willing to comply with the US Government's ethics regulations, such a statement also means that she is not required to comply with these regulations,” Ms. Clark pointed out.

Ms. Clark also said that arranging for Ivanka Trump to become an official assistant to President Donald Trump was "a clever way to circumvent the ethics regulations" of the US Government.

This would pave the way for the US government to allow unofficial advisers to access classified information and benefit themselves without facing legal consequences if something goes wrong.

“They are very smart to do this because the American people will consider it very normal when Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was also appointed as an advisor. However, the case of Ms. Ivanka Trump is extremely different because Mr. Jared Kushner is bound by specific ethical regulations and responsibilities,” Ms. Clark said./.

According to VOV