Ivanka Trump, daughter of President Donald Trump and a former senior White House adviser, has been posting an increasing number of photo dumps on Instagram this summer, chronicling a run of family vacations from Iceland to Costa Rica.
The images include Ivanka in a polka-dot dress with her head on husband Jared Kushner's shoulder, and pictures of the couple at Iceland's Blue Lagoon, where Kushner is seen bare-chested stepping out of a plunge pool. Other posts show her tanned knees beside a fire pit, a photo of physicist David Deutsch's book The Beginning of Infinity, and images of the couple's three children, Arabella, 15, Joseph, 12, and ten-year-old Theodore.
The run of glossy posts has prompted speculation that Ivanka, who turns 45 in October, is trying too hard to convince the public she is happy, given that she and Kushner are facing backlash in Albania over a planned luxury resort, and that Kushner is under pressure from Democrats in Congress over his business dealings in the Middle East. A friend of Ivanka's told the Daily Mail that this is a misreading, and that something more substantive, "if not quite a mid-life crisis then a mid-life rethink," is under way.
A focus on family
Ivanka grew up in public view, from her parents' tabloid divorce when she was nine, through her career as a teen model, to fame on the reality series Celebrity Apprentice and a string of high-profile parties and friendships. Friends say she is now focused on maximizing time with her children, the eldest of whom will reach college age within a few years.
Her mother, Ivana Trump, died suddenly in 2022 at 73, which friends say prompted Ivanka to reflect on the importance of being present for her own family. In Costa Rica this summer, paparazzi photographed her taking a surfing lesson, with celebrity outlet TMZ noting she was "even throwing up a shaka at one point," and pictured her horseback riding on a beach with Arabella.
A friend told the Daily Mail that the timing of the posts is misleading. "The key to understanding Ivanka's Instagram is that she's not posting photos in real time," the friend said. "Ivanka's far more private and she's just posting a periodic photo dump." The posts typically appear before or after a trip, protecting her location.
Distance from politics
Ivanka reportedly concluded after her father's first term that politics is "vicious and toxic," and she opted out of a role when he announced his 2024 campaign. Friends say she now avoids watching television news.
"I think it's very hard to leave Washington DC with all the power and responsibilities," a friend said. "But when you're on the other side of it, you see how beautiful life can be as well. She just wants to be there for her family. I think that's very admirable." A representative for the Kushner family declined to comment to the Daily Mail.
The 'art of living'
While her father has long championed what he calls the "art of the deal," friends say Ivanka is now exploring the "art of living," reflected in an extensive summer reading list she has shared on Instagram covering history, philosophy and personal growth.
After rereading John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, she wrote that "beneath its simplicity lies a profound meditation on loneliness, friendship and the fragility of human dreams," adding that it "lingers because it asks difficult questions about compassion, power and what it means to be responsible for one another in a world that is often indifferent." She has also said she reads A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living each night, referencing the late mythologist known for the phrase "follow your bliss," which he said meant "the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living."
Her list also includes The Beginning of Infinity by University of Oxford physicist David Deutsch, described as the "father of quantum computing"; Power vs. Force by the late psychiatrist David R Hawkins; James A Michener's 1,136-page Hawaii; Kristin Hannah's The Four Winds and Winter Garden; and Ariel Lawhon's The Frozen River.
Kushner's role in the administration
Kushner, 45, holds no formal position in the administration but remains an informal adviser and peace envoy to his father-in-law, working on the Iran, Ukraine and Gaza crises. Last week he and fellow envoy Steve Witkoff met for three hours with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, followed by a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
Earlier this year, Kushner's work meant he could not join the family for Father's Day. "Jared couldn't be with us," Ivanka wrote on Instagram, "but his absence was one born of purpose. And we felt his presence all the same." The House Judiciary Committee is currently seeking documents from Kushner related to his dual role advising the president on foreign policy while running a private equity firm that deals with foreign governments.
Kushner has also met recently with House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries as the White House explores working across the aisle should Democrats win control of the House in the November midterms. "Jared is pursuing his passion, which is specifically about Israel, the Jewish people, and peace in the Middle East," a friend of Ivanka's said. "It's a job he really enjoyed in his first term that he gets to continue and he still gets to go home to his family in Miami. Having a family that sustains you and having a job you can pop into, a job that you really want to do, and go back to a normal life is really important."
Backlash over Albania resort
The criticism of Kushner's advisory role is minor compared with the backlash over a plan to transform an Albanian island into a luxury resort. Kushner's investment firm, Affinity Partners, has been given approval to develop resorts on Sazan Island and the nearby Zvernec Peninsula, a coastal wetland home to flamingos, seals and nesting sea turtles. Protesters, whose demonstrations have been dubbed the "flamingo revolution," have carried pink signs and inflatable birds.
"It's the only island we have. The authorities are just giving it away to the highest bidder," Albanian ecologist Joni Vorpsi told the Daily Mail. Anger grew after Ivanka described in a podcast interview how she and Kushner found the island by swimming to it from a friend's boat, saying they wanted to "transform it, but with a lot of restraint and care because the land is so beautiful."
Thousands have taken to the streets of the Albanian capital, Tirana, chanting "Albania belongs to Albania." On the 101st day of the demonstrations last Tuesday, police blocked protesters from reaching parliament as they were pelted with eggs and tomatoes by crowds in riot gear, and cars carrying lawmakers were hit with plastic water bottles.
One person close to Ivanka said she is not troubled by the criticism. "She's not stung by the criticism, it's just the opposite. She's invigorated and can't wait to unveil the plans," the source said. "She recognizes that doing great things can be met with challenges, but you know people haven't even seen the plan yet."
Life in Miami
Ivanka and her family appear set to remain based in Miami, where they bought a $24 million waterfront home on Indian Creek Island, known as the "Billionaire Bunker," after the 2020 election. Neighbors there include Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Tom Brady.
Friends say Ivanka has embraced being on her "own schedule," working out four days a week with yoga, Pilates and jiu-jitsu, swimming in the ocean most mornings, meditating, making breakfast for the family, drinking creatine fruit shakes and walking her dogs, Simba, Winter and Aspen. She has also co-founded a business focused on reducing food waste. "She's had a very active summer, working on Planet Harvest and her investing portfolio," one source said.
