Melania vs Ivanka Trump feud getting worse? Blame game erupts as former First Daughter eyes political career
It is no secret that Melania Trump and Ivanka Trump have shared a stressed relationship. We have seen it live on stage and on television during public appearances. The two have rarely appeared together and when they do, they share covert, awkward smiles for the benefit of the cameras. And now, as Trump's presidency comes to an end, sources close to his eldest daughter and advisor, Ivanka, claim that her already strained relationship with the First Lady has become increasingly bitter as the family now prepares to vacate the White House.
Tensions between Ivanka and Melania – two of the most influential and closest women to the president - reach a new high closer to Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20, 2021. Insiders reveal that atmosphere in the White House is more tense as the blame game is played.
In a report by CNN's White House correspondent, Kate Bennett, an insider with knowledge of the situation claimed "there has been some finger-pointing" regarding the President's controversial and widely panned behavior over the last two weeks, beginning with the January 6 rally and instigating a mob to storm the Capitol - all that led to demands of Trump's second impeachment on a charge of inciting an insurrection.
The two most powerful women in Trump's personal and political sphere have shared a long history of a difficult relationship. For the last several months, Ivanka and Melania were not publicly photographed together, except for when they showed up on two sides of the president during the presidential debate in September and the Republican National Convention in August. At the time, Melania sat on one side of the President with their son, Barron, her parents and the Pence family, with Ivanka Trump across the stage on the other side.
Even the following holiday season came with a heady dose of differences. The family spent Thanksgiving separately as Ivanka Trump and the adult siblings went to Camp David and Trump ate dinner at the White House with Melania Trump, Barron Trump and her parents. On Christmas, Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner avoided going to Mar-a-Lago as they had in the past. A source has said, that Melania Trump "hasn't exactly rolled out the welcome mat."
The situation is worse now since some insiders also claim that Ivanka is worried about her career. "Ivanka is worried that her promising political career is in jeopardy and she's doing whatever she can to save her reputation," a source said, as reported by the Daily Mail. A source who spoke to CNN's Bennett appeared to corroborate the reports, claiming that Ivanka and Kushner are "trying to keep what little is left for them in terms of sellable currency as Trumps".
Reports of their feud gained traction last year following the publication of Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's tell-all book. The memoir, which is titled ''Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady', was written by the First Lady's former friend and senior advisor in which she detailed their bitter rivalry, including claims that their aides actively ensured the two were kept separated.