Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner: Rising Powers at the White House (source: 'she is all powerful')

NBC News ^ | 3/30/17 | by Ali Vitali and Corky Siemaszko

[drewh]

The speculation began almost immediately after Donald Trump was elected: Who would have the ear of the famously unpredictable 45th president?

Two months into Trump's presidency, it's becoming clear that blood and family have trumped ambition on Pennsylvania Avenue with First Daughter Ivanka Trump emerging as a powerbroker in her own right, along with her husband Jared Kushner.

"Ivanka Trump is all powerful," a source familiar with the inner workings of the White House told NBC News.

Empowering women is not her father's issue, it's Ivanka's. And she's making the most of her opportunity.

"She has these issues that she's passionate about and has been for a long time, even before her dad started running for president, and she's excited about the opportunity to advocate for these issues," an administration official close to Ivanka told NBC News. "She is nothing but a positive influence on both the president, but also on the issue-set."

In some ways, Ivanka is a chip off the old block.

"She is not unlike her father in that she's a great negotiator," the official said. But she brings to the table a "certain finesse."

Ivanka has also taken on some of the ceremonial duties typically filled by the First Lady. She often serves as Trump's "consigliere" and, in a White House filling with infighting, is "there to protect her father's interest," a source told NBC News.

Now with a West Wing office, she also has also been called on to serve as an adviser on issues not on her radar, most recently when the Trump-backed plan to replace Obamacare crashed and burned.

Meanwhile, the profile of Trump's son-in-law is also on the rise. On Monday, it was announced that Kushner was tapped to oversee a new office called the White House Office of American Administration, whose mission is to make the federal government run more like a business.

"We should have excellence in government," Kushner told The Washington Post, which broke the story on Sunday. "The government should be run like a great American company."

Not lost on White House watchers was this — Bannon has no formal role in the new, high-profile entity. Neither does Pence, or Priebus, or Miller.

Once fixtures on the Manhattan social scene, Ivanka and Jared have transformed themselves into a Washington "power couple" and they are using their clout and charm to push their own social but fiscally conservative agendas.

"They feed off one another," the source said.

How much clout do they have?

Trump took the unprecedented step of seeking top-secret clearance for Kushner so he could attend Presidential Daily Briefings, Ivanka began testing the Washington waters.

One administration official close to her describes the First Daughter's first weeks as a sort of listening tour around the nation's capital, "meeting with people, listening, and just kind of getting a sense of what role she could play."

[Liz]

[bootless]

>>Let’s hope PRESIDENT TRUMP will not be swayed by IVANKA’S liberal leanings.<<

Sadly, the chances of that are very low. He adores, admires, and respects her and has included her in numerous meetings, before and after the election.

I believe she will be ideologically very influential. This worries me. She is a pro-choice liberal.

[Valk Rider]

***** Mostly, people who are good at talking. *****

---

When you run, you really run.

[reasonisfaith]

I apologize for not getting the point across very well. What I meant was that the media will try to create talking points, using the false narrative that Ivanka sways him to be more liberal.

[sargon]

NBC sez Ivanka is "all powerful"?

Kthxbye...