78 new york | august 5–18, 2019
her look in a way that was very not Chapin;
sh e was posing boobs-out on the cover of
St uff magazine, turning herself into the
le ggy, busty, blonde Barbie type Donald had
chased his entire life. At the Trump Orga-
nization offices, she took on the role of
ex ecutive with gusto—she’d be just like her
mother, the professional woman, but her
pr ofessional life would be entirely in service
to her father. According to a friend, she was
hesitant at times about his business, of
li censing his name to Third World oligarchs
perhaps seeking to launder funds, as in the
Trump Soho or the Trump hotel in Azer-
baijan, to name two projects she shep-
herded. But she justified it to herself as
part of the way the world works, and only
a moron would not take every advantage
of fered to her. Working for her father
wasn’t a financial bonanza, and she had
no trust fund to prop her up. In the mid-
aughts, when New York’s socialites began
becoming as famous as Paris Hilton—the
“c elebutantes”—Ivanka wanted to secure
th e high-profile beauty and fashion deals
th ey were receiving, but she also saw them
as beneath her, a bunch of girls with fake
jo bs as jewelry designers. For her own
fi ne-jewelry line, she would make a seri-
ous play, taking as her partner a diamond
heir from the Bronx, who has since been
ac cused of fraud and extortion.
Ivanka and her father started spending
more time together; two people never
showing vulnerability were now national
stars on The Apprentice. Some people
started to notice that they shared another
affliction, the Manhattan disease of con-
stantly discussing who was up and who
was down in the power structure. “Did
you ever hear them talk about politics?”
I ask someone close to both. “No, they
talked about other people’s money.” They
did not share their own money, of course.
Like her father, never a charitable type,
Iv anka does not donate to Chapin, says a
source close to the school’s board.Among ivanka’s friends, her
relationship with Jared is perceived
as a lit match. Without him, they
don’t think she would have climbed
the particular greasy pole of Weymouth’sbirthday party. She had previously pre-
ferred party-boy boyfriends whose big ex-
tended families impressed her but not her
father, who’d wanted her to marry a celeb-
rity. She often became enmeshed in their
families, taking on the preppy style of chat-
ter and the Lilly Pulitzer fashion of her Palm
Beach boyfriend Bingo Gubelmann. Kush-
ner, to whom she was introduced by her
diamond dealer, was no sort of blue blood,
but his family was large and outwardly ap-
peared kind, though privately so diabolical
a former colleague described the Kushner
patriarch’s anger as akin to “an animal
foaming at the mouth.”
In her 20s, she said her ideal man, the
one she had fantasies about, was Christian
Bale in American Psycho playing Patrick
Bateman, who is, of course, an ’80s
scenester just like her father was back
then—suspenders, slicked-back hair, chops
up women for a hobby. Jared is handsome
when you first look at him, but upon con-
templation, his face is a Cubist construction.
The eyes seem to refract rather than reflect
light, and he has an unpleasant cast to his
mouth; what he’s turning over in his mind
seems to be expressed less through words
than through the railroad-straight set of his
lips. His words have always been charming,
so charming that some in New York found
him unbearably polite, with his constant
affirmations of how interesting he found the
conversation he was having with you. And
as a kid from New Jersey trying to make it in
New York, he’d do whatever it took to raise
his profile. With Jared by her side, Ivanka
left her hard-partying crowd for tamer
friends like Ralph Lauren’s kids, married
tech bros, and Wendi Murdoch, the wife of
elderly mogul Rupert Murdoch, with whom
Jared became close.
As always, Ivanka took her image in the
press seriously, particularly the one in the
New York Post, which she read each morn-
ing, just like her father. A female reporter
there who met Jared for lunch or coffee
about once a month for a couple years says,
“He did the ‘Aw shucks, I’m naïve’ thing, and
it was hard to piece out if it was an act
because he came off so deer-in-headlights.”
Jared told her, baldly, that he was interested
in picking her brain about how power and
media players worked. The reporter found
Ivanka to be much more normal, a friendly
person who would nevertheless make coy
statements like, “ ‘I saw Wendi recently and
told her how great you are’—like, ‘Hey,
remember, I’m friends with your boss’s
wife.’ ” Jared and Ivanka seemed to want to
be in the Post all the time; Ivanka knew her
father loved it when she was mentioned in
the paper. But after the couple married, the
reporter received a different message from
Jared. “Suddenly he didn’t want me to writeabout the two of them at parties anymore,”
she says. “We’d have to make it seem like
they were really serious people.”
Ivanka may have thought Jared was
devoted to her and would never cheat on
her, which would allow her to think less
about her personal life than her profes-
sional life as she tried to climb ever-higher
heights with a new clothing line and a web-
site promoting working mothers and “Lean
In” feminism. Friends say Ivanka did truly
buy the Chapin line that women can do
everything men can; with her narcissistic
tendencies, she simply thought this pri-
marily about women who looked like her
and were relatively close on the economic
spectrum. Like her husband, she seemed to
consider discretion almost a moral good
and made sure her outer reputation was
one of elegance: thank-you notes, baby
presents, cool-cucumber attitude, promo-
tion of others’ projects. “She extends gener-
ous gestures,” says Phaidon editor Billy
Norwich, the recipient of a lovely tweet
from Ivanka about his novel, though they’d
never met.
Some people in New York bought what
she was selling, and some found it fake.
“She’s so polite it’s actually uncomfortable—
her whole thing is ‘My father may be tacky
and horrible, but I am elegant and refined,’ ”
says a fashion editor who dined with her sev-
eral years ago. And here and there, she has
been caught acting less than perfect. “My
place card was next to Ivanka’s at a small
dinner, and during cocktails I looked over
and saw her switch mine with someone
else’s,” says architect James Ramsey. “I guess
I wasn’t important enough.”
When Donald announced that he was
going to run for president, Jared got to work
on his own agenda: He wanted to dig him-
self out of the debt he’d acquired buying the
massive office tower at 666 Fifth Avenue
and figured a higher profile with govern-
ment ties might do the trick. With the
Qatari government, it eventually did, and
he also wanted to strengthen America’s ties
to Israel. Ivanka was not sure what she
wanted, and she was also not sure what she
was getting from this presidency deal at all;
she was hoping to finally make a fortune
from her clothing line. Before her father
was elected, heavily pregnant, Ivanka was
stopped at an elevator by Elizabeth
McLaughlin, a feminist entrepreneur con-
sulting for Ivanka, who asked how she was
feeling. The words spilled out of her: “I’m
exhausted. If I had my way, I would throw
my television out the window, cancel my
newspaper subscription, and turn off my
phone, but they won’t let me.”
After her father’s election, Ivanka,
although excited by the win, told friends
she wanted to stay in New York. JaredCONTINUED FROM PAGE 31Ivanka
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herlookin a waythatwasverynotChapin;
sh e wasposingboobs-outon thecoverof
St uffmagazine,turningherselfintothe
le ggy,busty,blondeBarbietypeDonaldhad
chasedhis entirelife.At theTrumpOrga-
nizationoffices,shetookon theroleof
ex ecutivewithgusto—she’dbe justlikeher
mother,theprofessionalwoman,but her
pr ofessionallifewouldbe entirelyin service
toherfather.Accordingto a friend,shewas
hesitantat timesabouthisbusiness,of
li censinghis nameto ThirdWorldoligarchs
perhapsseekingto launderfunds,as in the
TrumpSohoor theTrumphotelin Azer-
baijan,to nametwoprojectssheshep-
herded.Butshejustifiedit to herselfas
partof thewaytheworldworks,andonly
a moronwouldnottakeeveryadvantage
of feredto her.Workingfor herfather
wasn’ta financialbonanza,andshehad
notrustfundto propherup.In themid-
aughts,whenNewYork’ssocialitesbegan
becomingas famousas ParisHilton—the
“c elebutantes”—Ivankawantedto secure
th e high-profilebeautyandfashiondeals
th eywerereceiving,butshealsosawthem
asbeneathher,a bunchof girlswithfake
jo bsas jewelrydesigners.Forherown
fi ne-jewelryline,shewouldmakea seri-
ousplay,takingas herpartnera diamond
heir fromtheBronx,whohassincebeen
ac cusedof fraudandextortion.
Ivankaandherfatherstartedspending
moretimetogether;twopeoplenever
showingvulnerability werenownational
starsonTheApprentice.Somepeople
startedtonoticethat they sharedanother
affliction,theManhattandiseaseofcon-
stantlydiscussingwhowasupandwho
wasdowninthepowerstructure.“Did
youeverhearthemtalkaboutpolitics?”
I asksomeoneclosetoboth.“No,they
talkedaboutotherpeople’s money.”They
didnotsharetheirownmoney, ofcourse.
Likeherfather,nevera charitabletype,
Iv ankadoesnotdonatetoChapin,saysa
sourceclosetotheschool’s board.
A
mongivanka’sfriends, r
relationshipwithJaredis p
asa litmatch.Withouthi y
don’t thinkshewouldhaveclimbed
theparticulargreasypoleofWeymouth’s
birthday party. She had previously pre-
ferredparty-boy boyfriends whose big ex-
tendedfamilies impressed her but not her
father,who’d wanted her to marry a celeb-
rity.Sheoftenbecame enmeshed in their
families,taking on the preppy style of chat-
terandtheLilly Pulitzer fashion of her Palm
Beachboyfriend Bingo Gubelmann. Kush-
ner,towhomshe was introduced by her
diamonddealer, was no sort of blue blood,
buthisfamilywas large and outwardly ap-
pearedkind,though privately so diabolical
a formercolleague described the Kushner
patriarch’sanger as akin to “ananimal
foamingatthe mouth.”
Inher20s,she said her ideal man, the
oneshehadfantasies about, was Christian
BaleinAmerican Psycho playingPatrick
Bateman, who is, of course, an ’80s
scenesterjust like her father was back
then—suspenders, slicked-back hair, chops
upwomenfora hobby. Jared is handsome
whenyoufirst look at him, but upon con-
templation,his face is a Cubist construction.
Theeyesseemto refract rather than reflect
light,andhehas an unpleasant cast to his
mouth;whathe’s turning over in his mind
seemstobeexpressed less through words
thanthroughthe railroad-straight set of his
lips.Hiswords have always been charming,
socharmingthat some in New York found
himunbearably polite, with his constant
affirmationsof how interesting he found the
conversationhe was having with you. And
asa kidfromNew Jersey trying to make it in
NewYork,he’d do whatever it took to raise
hisprofile.With Jared by her side, Ivanka
leftherhard-partying crowd for tamer
friendslikeRalph Lauren’s kids, married
techbros,andWendi Murdoch, the wife of
elderlymogulRupert Murdoch, with whom
Jaredbecameclose.
Asalways,Ivanka took her image in the
pressseriously, particularly the one in the
NewYorkPost, which she read each morn-
ing,justlike her father. A female reporter
therewhomet Jared for lunch or coffee
aboutoncea month for a couple years says,
“Hedidthe‘Aw shucks, I’m naïve’ thing, and
itwashardto piece out if it was an act
becausehecame off so deer-in-headlights.”
Jaredtoldher, baldly, that he was interested
inpickingherbrain about how power and
mediaplayersworked. The reporter found
Ivankatobemuch more normal, afriendly
personwhowould nevertheless make coy
statementslike, “ ‘I saw Wendi recently and
toldherhowgreat you are’—like, ‘Hey,
remember,I’m friends with your boss’s
wife.’” Jaredand Ivanka seemed towant to
beinthePostall the time; Ivanka knew her
fatherlovedit when she was mentioned in
thepaper.Butafter the couple married, the
reporterreceived a different message from
Jared.“Suddenly he didn’t want meto writeabout the two of them at parties anymore,”
she says. “We’d have to make it seem like
they were really serious people.”
Ivanka may have thought Jared was
devoted to her and would never cheat on
her, which would allow her to think less
about her personal life than her profes-
sional life as she tried to climb ever-higher
heights with a new clothing line and a web-
site promoting working mothers and “Lean
In” feminism. Friends say Ivanka did truly
buy the Chapin line that women can do
everything men can; with her narcissistic
tendencies, she simply thought this pri-
marily about women who lookedlike her
and were relatively close on the economic
spectrum. Like her husband, she seemed to
consider discretion almost a moral good
and made sure her outer reputation was
one of elegance: thank-you notes, baby
presents, cool-cucumber attitude,promo-
tion of others’ projects. “She extends gener-
ous gestures,” says Phaidon editor Billy
Norwich, the recipient of a lovely tweet
from Ivanka about his novel, though they’d
never met.
Some people in New York bought what
she was selling, and some foundit fake.
“She’s so polite it’s actually uncomfortable—
her whole thing is ‘My father may be tacky
and horrible, but I am elegant and refined,’ ”
says a fashion editor who dined withher sev-
eral years ago. And here and there,she has
been caught acting less than perfect. “My
place card was next to Ivanka’s ata small
dinner, and during cocktails I looked over
and saw her switch mine with someone
else’s,” says architect James Ramsey. “I guess
I wasn’t important enough.”
When Donald announced thathe was
going to run for president, Jared got to work
on his own agenda: He wanted to dig him-
self out of the debt he’d acquired buying the
massive office tower at 666 FifthAvenue
and figured a higher profile withgovern-
ment ties might do the trick. With the
Qatari government, it eventually did, and
he also wanted to strengthen America’s ties
to Israel. Ivanka was not sure what she
wanted, and she was also not sure what she
was getting from this presidency deal at all;
she was hoping to finally make afortune
from her clothing line. Before her father
was elected, heavily pregnant, Ivanka was
stopped at an elevator by Elizabeth
McLaughlin, a feminist entrepreneur con-
sulting for Ivanka, who asked howshe was
feeling. The words spilled out of her: “I’m
exhausted. If I had my way, I would throw
my television out the window, cancel my
newspaper subscription, and turn off my
phone, but they won’t let me.”
After her father’s election, Ivanka,
although excited by the win, toldfriends
she wanted to stay in New York. JaredCONTINUED FROM PAGE 31Ivanka
Aeternum