It seems like there’s always at least one person in the Trump family who casually misses a significant family event. Perhaps none of them got quite as much attention as when President Donald Trump skipped his own son’s wedding, but still, the guest lists at family functions have definitely raised eyebrows multiple times. This time, Ivanka Trump’s husband, Jared Kushner, didn’t show up for… Father’s Day, of all things?
Ivanka addressed her husband’s absence directly, but her explanation didn’t clear things up for anyone.
Her post was a tad bit cryptic.
Ivanka took to Instagram to reflect on the Father’s Day celebration that her husband didn’t attend. “Last Sunday, we gathered at Camp David with my dad, my siblings, our children and their cousins,” she wrote, per Hello! “Grateful for another Father’s Day together.”
Her kids were featured in the photos she shared, but her husband was nowhere to be seen. Which she actually mentioned in her caption. “Jared couldn’t be with us,” she continued. “But his absence was one born on purpose. And we felt his presence all the same.” Um, what?
Then, she added, “The older I get, the more I realize that family is built in both the extraordinary moments and the ordinary ones: a walk, a laugh, a story shared around the dinner table. These become the memories our children carry forward. Feeling especially grateful for the fathers who love, lead, and serve through both presence and sacrifice.”
Of course, the mysterious post raised questions about Jared’s whereabouts. Her actual Father’s Day post was also controversial, albeit for a different reason.
On Father’s Day, Ivanka recognized both her husband and her own father.
Her post was not at all detailed. In fact, she actually didn’t mention her dad or her husband directly. She simply wrote, “Happy Father’s Day to fathers everywhere ! xx”
She included a photo of her dad with her kids, along with a family photo that Jared was a part of. So, presumably, they were among the “fathers everywhere” that she wanted to recognize.
But critics on social media were not eager to celebrate Ivanka’s dad. Instead, they started sharing creepy clips in which he made inappropriate comments about his own daughter.
“I would be ashamed to have one like that,” one critic commented on Ivanka’s post, referring to her controversial father.
Ivanka has stepped away from politics, but not from controversy.
Although Ivanka said she chose not to be involved in politics during her father’s second term to prioritize her children, she and her husband have recently come under fire over their plans to build luxury resorts in Albania. The development project has sparked environmental concerns and people have protested against the project, with protesters holding signs that say things like, “Albania is not a Gucci bag on sale,” per Wired.
Like Ivanka, Jared previously claimed that he would be stepping away from politics and staying out of the limelight after his father-in-law’s first term. Then, he returned to the limelight and became a “special peace envoy” for the president — while also trying to raise money for his private equity firm at the same time.
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