TESTIFYING at Donald Trump’s civil trial will be a body blow for Ivanka Trump and suggests her character rebrand is not on script, a PR expert has told The U.S. Sun.
Since leaving Washington DC in January 2021, Ivanka has distanced herself from her father’s campaign to re-take The White House as she settled in Florida with her husband Jared Kushner, and their three children.
Ivanka Trump was once a senior advisor for her father Donald when he was in the White HouseAFP
Trump is currently locked in a civil fraud trialGetty
It is a sharp contrast to how Ivanka was front and center of her father’s 2016 presidential campaign and only term in office.
In 2015, Ivanka famously introduced her father at a press conference at Trump Tower, in New York City before the tycoon almost triumphantly rode down the escalator.
Ivanka, formerly Executive Vice President of Development & Acquisitions at the Trump Organisation, said at the time: “Today I have the honor of introducing a man who needs no introduction, his legend has been built and his accomplishments are too many to name. That man is my father.”
In 2016, Ivanka introduced Trump at the Republican National Convention – after he defied the odds and won the GOP presidential nominee.
Donald Trump Jr told the Associated Press at the time: “There is no one closer to my father than Ivanka.”
Ivanka was by her father’s side throughout his presidency as she became an advisor to Trump in March 2017.
She addressed the United Nations, led Team USA’s presidential delegation at the 2018 Winter Olympics, and rubbed shoulders with world leaders.
Ivanka joined Trump at the G20 Osaka summit in Japan and was involved in talks with the president and Kim Jong-un that took place in North Korea.
But as Trump launched his 2024 presidential campaign, Ivanka has sought to stay out of the limelight.
She said: “I love my father very much. This time around I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family.
“While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena.”
She didn’t attend Trump’s announcement – while Kushner did so.
Much of her Instagram content is focused on her family – celebrating their achievements and capturing personal moments.
Last month, Ivanka and Jared marked their 14th anniversary and she gushed on Instagram: “I am so thankful for this beautiful life and family we’ve built together.”
She has also reminisced on Halloween memories and celebrated the birthdays of younger sister Tiffany Trump, and sister-in-law Lara Trump – who is married to Eric.
Ivanka went to Kim Kardashian’s 43rd birthday party in Beverly Hills and was snapped with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez.
Post her White House career, political content is noticeably absent from her social media feed.
Eric Schiffer, the CEO of Reputation Management Consultants, told The U.S. Sun that Ivanka has focused on issues that are harder to attack since her father left office.
He said: “Ivanka has been careful to distance from the radioactivity of post January 6 and the Trump cascade of indictments by living in a city where she could be less in the media spotlight and embraced socially in a way that avoids the light that existed in New York.
“This includes staying away from issues that would regularly make news. She’s refocused on things that are harder to attack – such as the fashion of the day and being a mom.
“Ivanka’s friendship with Kim Kardashian can help soften her and create a perception in people’s minds that she matters.
“It’s important and it’s a cool factor because she wouldn’t be there if not.”
Schiffer has warned of the challenges that Ivanka’s suspected rebrand will face in the coming months – starting with her testimony at Trump’s civil trial.
Trump, the Trump organization, and his two adult sons have been accused of vastly overestimating their wealth.
Trump allegedly overstated his wealth by billions while applying for loans to expand his real estate business.
The tycoon has denied any wrongdoing and has claimed the trial is politically motivated.
Ivanka will take to the stand today – Wednesday – days after her request to avoid testifying was denied.
She claimed she would suffer “undue hardship” if she had to testify in the middle of a school week.
Schiffer said: “Testifying at the civil trial is another body blow for Ivanka that will take its pound of flesh in the short-run, and it will get tied to her legacy.
“Having to participate in the public trial that’s coming up is an element of the rebrand that is not on script.
“It’s not the image that aligns with her objectives which is to avoid being a personality that cannot be trusted.
“Ivanka has always been on a quest to prove herself and her value. She’s grown up in the shadow of a very famous, successful father. think she worked very hard to make that happen.
“That’s why this is what the events probably have been devastating for her over the last few years.”
Schiffer continued that her father’s indictments are a “horror show” for Ivanka to manage.
He said: “The Trump name will forever be her legacy. She’ll never undo the tattoo of Trump that’s cauterized on her.
“Her rebrand will face a debilitating, potentially disfiguring period because of the trials that her father faces.”
Ivanka’s rebrand appears to be taking place outside the political arena as she has been seen socializing with A-listers, but Schiffer warned that this could change depending on the polls.
He said that it is possible that Ivanka could re-enter the political limelight, particularly if it looks like her father is on track to retake the White House.
Schiffer said: “There are no short-term advantages for her to be involved [in her father’s campaign].
“But, she may be re-energized if it looks like Trump may win.
“She may want to participate again, but I think it’s going to depend on the polls.”
Biden’s campaign manager Julie Chavez-Rodriguez warned in a memo that the 2024 election will be “very close,” per The Hill.
New polls conducted by the New York Times and Siena College revealed Trump is ahead in the crucial swing states of Nevada, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Arizona.
The states were all carried by Biden in 2020.
Trump, who is set to miss the third Republican debate which takes place later on Wednesday, continues to maintain a commanding lead over his GOP rivals for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination.
PR expert Eric Schiffer believes Ivanka could return to frontline politics – if her father is on track to win the White HouseGetty Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
