Be honest: have you been getting a weird sense of deja vu this year? After all, Donald Trump is running for president for a third time, and that means that almost all of his family has been making headlines once more. This even includes Ivanka Trump, who looks for all the world like she wants to sit this particular election year out altogether.
Nonetheless, Ivanka still makes headlines (including, admittedly, our own), and the increased scrutiny of her life and career has made us notice a few things. You see, next to her bombastic father, Ivanka has always seemed relatively normal. But the truth is that there are more than a few weird things about her that we just can’t ignore anymore.
What are those weird things, and what do they tell us about Ivanka Trump and her life? Keep reading to find out!
Ignoring her own privilege is Ivanka Trump’s favorite game
If you know nothing else about Ivanka Trump, you know that she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Extreme wealth and a famous family name have helped Ivanka lead one of the most privileged lives in human history. Incredibly, though, the one person who seems completely unaware of her privilege is Ivanka herself.
For example, when she released her self-help book The Trump Card in 2009, Ivanka positively compared herself to other wealthy kids while growing up. She claimed that she worked hard for her success unlike those who “tapped their toes and tapped their kegs and tapped their parents’ patience and best intentions waiting for some far-off day when they might gain control of their pot of gold.”
That sounds neat until you realize that Ivanka literally owes everything to her famous father, someone who lavishes her with opportunities and got her a cushy presidential advisor gig because she’s his favorite kid. Just own up to that privilege, Ivanka!
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“Ivanka” Trump changed her name
Ivanka Trump is one of the most famous people in the entire world. She’s literally a household name, but there’s a real irony about the name itself. You see, “Ivanka” isn’t actually this Trump child’s original name, and she changed it for a simple and surprising reason.
Like most of Donald Trump’s kids, Ivanka’s mother is the late Ivana Trump. And Ivanka was named for her mom, so her real name is Ivana. Why, then, does she go by the name “Ivanka” instead? According to Ivanka herself, in her mother’s native Czechoslovakia, “Ivanka” is a baby name for “Ivana” in the same way that “Bobby” is a junior nickname for “Robert.”
We don’t doubt the reason for Ivanka’s name change, but the slight modification to her name also had some very practical advantages. For example, it helped distinguish her from her famous mother when Ivanka was trying to strike out on her own business ventures. And we can only imagine it was helpful around the house in those early days to have a way of clarifying which Ivana someone was talking to!
Unexpected friendship with Chelsea Clinton
As we have noted, it’s basically impossible to think about Ivanka Trump without thinking about her famous father. Ever since his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump has presented himself as the ultimate conservative, someone who successfully beat Hillary Clinton in the race for the White House. Given all that context, one of the most shocking things about Ivanka is that she was once great friends with Chelsea Clinton, Hillary’s only child.
In 2015, Chelsea told People that “Friendship is always more important than politics. I learned that growing up, watching my parents be friends with people across the political spectrum in Arkansas.” As recently as July 2016, they were still very tight, and Chelsea declared that “We’re both incredibly supportive of our parents, as we should be,”
However, this friendship was doomed once Donald Trump began ratcheting up his crude and often misogynistic attacks against Hillary Clinton. Chelsea confirmed they were no longer besties in 2020, telling Today, “I have no interest in being friends with someone who is not only complicit but actively taking part in this administration’s everyday collision of cruelty and incompetence.”
RELATED: Ivanka Trump Quietly Admits How She Really Feels About Donald Trump
Bold claims about being a consummate homemaker
The most fascinating thing about Ivanka Trump is that no matter how rich and powerful she gets, she still wants to be thought of as this relatable everywoman. That was on full display in June 2016 when took to X (formerly Twitter) to write “#LifeHacks: Tricks for looking like a domestic goddess (even when you’re pressed for time).” What followed were tips about how (among other things) to “make your tiny apartment feel (almost!) palatial.”
As of this writing, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner are worth $800 million and live in a $24 million mansion on a very exclusive island in Florida. Given all of that, Ivanka’s basically the last person we’d trust for tips on living in a small apartment!