Ivanka Trump and Melania Trump picked the perfect moment to be notably absent at the tail end of their patriarch’s campaign: a “Women for Trump” rally.
The event was full of the family’s dudes, even Tiffany Trump’s husband Michael Boulos was in attendance. On the female side, only Tiffany showed face. Ironic. Come to think of it though, neither Melania nor Ivanka have maintained visibility like they did during Trump’s previous two campaigns.
It would be nice to think they’ve seen the error of their ways and understand the Trump and Vance ticket is not women-friendly, despite the pink signs held by mostly white women in the background of the rally footage. Let’s be honest though, growing a spine now is a little late in the day. Not everyone can be Trump’s outspoken niece, Mary.
Maybe they smell blood in the water. This 2024 election has always seemed like it was going to be close, but sometimes you just have a gut feeling. Ivanka and Melania might be a bit over it all, especially now that they’ve watched this circus three times.
Melania was never a perfect political spouse, even in 2016, but she’s been far more absent this cycle. She’s been seen next to her husband only a few times in recent months — no more than you can count on 10 fingers.
She didn’t speak at the Republican National Convention, which is atypical. Melania also failed to show support in person during key events like Trump’s 78th birthday, the Super Tuesday victory party, and other milestones.
Does anyone ever really know what’s going on with her? She’s been a ghost this entire election cycle, to the point Googling “Are Melania and Trump still together?” is 100% valid. Maybe she hoped he’d put the pen down after the 2020 defeat so she could finally get some time to do whatever it is that she does.
The Ivanka “live, laugh, love” rebrand
Ivanka’s main priority is now a clean girl aesthetic Instagram account. Her “life lessons” shared on X include choosing words that “heal, not harm,” identifying “core values,” and moving your body so that you can “embrace play.”
They don’t quite align with Ivanka, who hasn’t spoken out against her father or brothers, whose only core values are spray tans and a disturbing lack of empathy. Some people have hope she is showing signs of growth, however.
Not everyone agrees on that, of course. And how can they, with Ivanka making little noise about where her personal beliefs lie? As one comment read, “If she writes the tell-all book that explains she has been victimized by Daddy, threatened by mobsters into silence or some plausible explanation for her complicity, I will consider a pardon.” Not holding my breath over here.
Her focus is more pointed toward her own brand, her husband Jared Kushner, and the children they share. That would be perfectly normal if cutesy lifestyle content belonged anywhere near the Trump name.
Another response simply said “complicit,” and dropped a link to the Scarlett Johansson Saturday Night Live sketch of the same name that poked fun at her in 2017 shortly after her father won the presidential election.
We’ll have to sit with Melania and Ivanka’s strange wishy-washy behavior because it’s way too late for any bold statement to distance themselves — entertaining as that would be. But you have to wonder, in an election partially decided by women’s rights, what’s it like putting aside your lived experience of womanhood for a man like Trump?
And what would stepping away from him even look like, when every element of your being is tied to him? We’ll probably never know, and that’s a shame because surprise infighting would have done Kamala Harris’ campaign a favor.