Trump appoints his daughter Ivanka Trump as Presidential Special Asssistant

President Donald Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, has announced that she would take up an appointment in her father’s administration.


Ivanka, in a statement on Wednesday, said she will be a Special Assistant to the President but will not take a salary. This came as her unofficial role has grown in recent weeks, and she was granted security clearance and an office at the White House, according to reports. “I have heard the concerns some have with my advising the president in my personal capacity while voluntarily complying with all ethics rules.

“And I will instead serve as an unpaid employee in the White House Office, subject to all of the same rules as other federal employees. “Throughout this process, I have been working closely and in good faith with the White House Counsel and my personal counsel to address the unprecedented nature of my role,” Ivanka said. Ivanka’s role as ‘First Daughter’ in support of the President is unprecedented. Ivanka Trump’s husband, Jared Kushner, has recently been confirmed a Senior Adviser to the President. The White House also released a statement about the new role to be played by Ivanka, saying that it is “pleased” by the move.

“Ivanka’s service as an unpaid employee furthers our commitment to ethics, transparency, and compliance. “And it affords her increased opportunities to lead initiatives driving real policy benefits for the American public that would not have been available to her previously,” the White House statement read. When her increased security clearance and White House office were announced, Ivanka acknowledged that “there is no modern precedent for an adult child of the president”.

The official title made Ivanka existing role more formalized but she had been present for family events like the various inauguration celebrations as well as closed-door meetings and sit-downs with foreign leaders. In February, she met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House, as part of a roundtable discussion on female entrepreneurs. She also met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visited the White House in February. When German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the White House earlier this month, Ivanka was seated right beside her.

When Trump held a listening session about domestic and international human trafficking on Feb. 23, he started his remarks by thanking Ivanka for her role. Ivanka involvement in business roundtable discussions has been attributed to her business background at her personal fashion label and her father’s real estate empire. 

(NAN)