President Donald Trump is known to value his family over everything else. But with a family
as large as his, naturally there are some members that he spends more time with than
others. In terms of his children, it's likely that he spends most of his time with Ivanka,
who is currently serving as a White House adviser to her father. With her job title,
naturally they're around each other a lot. But what about Trump's youngest daughter,
Tiffany? Where does her relationship with the president stand?
In an effort to try and understand their bond, we spoke to body language expert and CEO of
Truthblazers Blanca Cobb, to try and decipher how Tiffany's relationship with her dad has
changed since she was a kid.
In an Instagram that Tiffany posted in June
2016 for her dad's birthday, Donald is showing the markers of a good dad, according to Cobb.
She explains that Trump is looking toward his daughter, who looks to be about three
years old, which signals that he is looking to care for her. "When a parent is attentive
to their child, they’ll look at them, which is exactly what Trump did in these photos,"
says Cobb. "Trump held Tiffany close to him and he checked on her."
That's pretty adorable! Add in the teddy bear in Tiffany's lap, and it looks like a picture-perfect
family photo.
A slightly older Tiff still got the same attention from dad. In this photo, which is probably
from about 1997 or so given the 1993-born Tiffany's age, Tiffany also wished her dad
a happy birthday in 2015 via Instagram with a different childhood photo of the two of
them, but one that displayed similar body language. Tiffany wrote, "Happy Birthday dad!
I'm so grateful to have such an intelligent, hard working, and hilarious person like you
in my life!" adding emojis and tagging her father's Instagram handle.
"Again, Trump’s showed that he’s an attentive dad by leaning towards Tiffany as well as
looking at her," Cobb explains, "Exactly what you’d expect from a father."
Even as she got older, the love was still
there. In this next photo that Tiffany posted for Father's Day in 2015, Tiff and her dad
share a loving embrace, which Cobb says shows that their father-daughter relationship is
tended-to and loving. "You lean towards someone you like or in this case, love. Tiffany leans
in to get closer to her dad to give him a kiss. It appears that Trump grasped Tiffany’s
hand. A tender moment between father and daughter," says Cobb.
But the relationship between adult Tiff and
her dad is a little more formal. This graduation Instagram that Trump posted from 2016 is where
things seemingly shift. "Although Trump and Tiffany are all smiles, it’s interesting
that his arm closest to her is resting by his side instead of wrapped around her back,
which is what you typically see when people pose for photos," explains Cobb.
But she also noted that the president's other arm isn't wrapped around eldest daughter Ivanka
Trump either, so this observation could mean nothing.
In this image that was taken during the 2016 presidential campaign, Tiffany is pictured
leaning in toward her dad's direction. Cobb says she doesn't see much in this photo that's
related to the father-daughter relationship, but that Tiffany might be feeling a little
out of place based on her posture. "Tiffany is ever so slightly angled towards her dad
and her hands are clasped low in front of her body. Typically, when you’re showing
closed body language you’re feeling a bit uncomfortable," says Cobb.
Even though there's not much to it, Cobb did notice something about Tiffany's relationship
with Ivanka based on the photo. "Tiffany and Ivanka are both showing the same gesture (hands
clasped in front of their bodies). These sisters are demonstrating that they’re in sync,"
Cobb explains. Even if Tiffany's relationship with her dad
is questionable here, at least it's clear that she and her sister Ivanka share a close
connection.
In this last image from Easter in April 2018, Trump and her father, along with stepmother
and first lady Melania, were photographed on their way to a church service to celebrate
the holiday. Even though Tiffany appears to be a little distant from Trump, Cobb explains
that she's still relaxed and present with her dad.
"Her body is angled towards him, which suggests that she’s taken an interest in the conversation,"
Cobb says. "She looks relaxed as she’s standing near her dad. Notice the natural curvature
of her fingers. Typically, when someone is feeling stressed they might tight their fingers
or hands." This analysis is based just off pictures,
so the true nature of how Tiff's relationship with her dad might have changed is just speculation.
If my dad were president, I'd expect his relationship to change not just with me, but with everyone
close to him — so there's that. Hey, at least they always have the annual Turkey Pardon
for some fun.