The Trump kids look likely to turn on their dad - and I suspect Ivanka will go first [View all]

[hookaleft]

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Trump’s children, to be clear, haven’t been charged with anything yet. However, they have a lot to be worried about. As Donald Trump’s biographer said recently, one reason Weisselberg is in trouble is that he was allegedly paid as an employee and a nonemployee contractor – allowing various tax write-offs. A New York Times investigation reported that Ivanka Trump was similarly paid more than $700,000 (£500,000) in consulting fees while also collecting a salary as a full-time employee of the Trump Organization. It is likely Eric and Don Jr had similar arrangements in place – we only know for sure about Ivanka because she had to disclose the payments when she gave herself a job at the White House.

If any of the Trump kids are going to turn on their dad, my money is squarely on Ivanka. Indeed, she already seems to be distancing herself strategically from her no-longer-particularly-useful father. A couple of weeks ago, for example, there were reports that Trump’s complaints about the “stolen” 2020 election were driving Ivanka and Jared Kushner away. These reported leaks about Javanka are not new phenomena – they happened frequently throughout Trump’s presidency, leading some to suspect it was a PR tactic by a couple keen to remain in the good graces of liberals as well as the Maga crowd.

While Ivanka appears to be coolly attempting to control her own narrative behind the scenes, Donald Jr and Eric reacted to the Trump Organization criminal charges by having histrionics on camera. Eric Trump told Newsmax last week that “Don, Ivanka and I live really nice, clean lives”. Meanwhile, Don Jr posted a 13-minute video on Facebook calling the charges against his dad “banana-republic stuff”. He also (rather unhelpfully) acknowledged that the allegations Trump paid for Weisselberg’s grandchildren’s school fees were true. “My dad did that,” he said, because he is a “good guy”. A “good guy” who probably wishes he raised smarter kids. With children like these, who needs enemies?

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/06/the-trump-kids-look-likely-to-turn-on-their-dad-and-i-suspect-ivanka-will-go-first