Ivanka Trump came to Washington as the crown jewel of her family’s empire.
Even people who loathed her father – aka the President of the United States – acknowledged that they generally liked his eldest daughter and laid much of their hope in her: Maybe she would be a moderating influence on his more base instincts.
Two years into Trump’s presidency, those hopes are, mostly, dashed. Ivanka – and her husband, Jared Kushner – have largely been behind-the-scenes players within the White House, and she has not been able to directly influence the way in which her father behaves in office or the issues he tends to care about and push. (Ivanka’s big victory to date? Her role lobbying to double the child tax credit in the Republican tax law.)
Then this week came the news that Ivanka used a private email account to conduct government business during the first year of the Trump administration.
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Which, like, really? After a presidential campaign laser-focused on Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state, Ivanka commits the same error? (Ivanka allies note the situations are not exactly the same, which is true. But they’re WAY too close for comfort.)
Now, to be clear: Ivanka and Jared aren’t going anywhere. Amid the latest talk from the President about potentially significant staff changes, the only people who were considered entirely immune from the chopping block were his daughter and son-in-law.
The Point: For someone who came to Washington with the highest of high expectations, Ivanka’s time in the nation’s capital has been less than impressive. She’s got two more years to change that.