Ivanka Trump’s “main reason” for not returning to White House

Ivanka Trump on Monday revealed the “main reason” she is not returning to the White House for President-elect Donald Trump‘s second term. which begins on January 20.

Newsweek reached out to the Trump-Vance transition team for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Ivanka Trump was a key player in the first Trump administration, during which she served as an adviser viewed as particularly influential with then-President Trump. She was highly visible and emphasized issues like paid family leave and economic development.

She was viewed by some as among the more moderate voices in his first administration, though critics questioned the extent to which she was able to moderate policy coming from the Oval Office. Her position at time sparked backlash from critics who accused the president of nepotism over his decision to bring his family members into official positions at the White House.

What To Know

Ivanka Trump said her decision not to return to the White House has to do with her children during an interview on the Skinny Confidential podcast released on Monday.

“The main reason I am not going back to serve now is I know the cost and it’s a price that I’m not willing to make my kids bear,” she said.

She said she is asked a lot why she decided to not serve during her father’s second term and feels it is more difficult to be away from her children now that they are teenagers.

“My highest most core value is family,” she said. “And my kids were much younger, so it was easier to not be present. But when you have kids that are teenagers, about to be teenagers, your physical presence matters so much.”

Trump added that not being a fan of politics is “another element” as to why she decided not to serve again.

“I love policy and impact. I hate politics. And unfortunately the two are not…there is a darkness to that world that I don’t really want to welcome into mine. To some degree, I’m at the center of the storm because my father is about to be president,” she said. “It’s a very dark negative. And some people love like the gladiator aspect of it, you know, the fight that, that was never me.”

Although Ivanka Trump served in the White House during the first Trump administration, she has taken a step back from politics since 2021, avoiding the campaign trail during her father’s latest presidential bid.

What People Are Saying

Maggie Cordish, a longtime friend of Ivanka Trump, previously to CNN: “She’s still his daughter, and a trusted voice, so in that sense an informal adviser, as we all are with our family members.”

Ivanka Trump in November 2022: “While I will always love and support my father, going forward, I will do so outside the political arena.”

What Happens Next

President-elect Trump is set to be inaugurated on January 20.