Donald and Ivanka Trump are a very close daddy-daughter duo. Some people think that the President's
oldest daughter seems to be even more of a first lady than her stepmom, Melania. While
this might perhaps explain some of the rumored tension between the two women, there have
been several prior presidents who also had a daughter or other female relative take over
this role in lieu of an absent spouse.
Before Ivanka's dad was elected to the country's highest office, she not only marketed her
own lifestyle brand and authored several bestselling books, but she also played an important role
in running the Trump Organization and even found time to make regular appearances on
her dad's TV show The Apprentice in order to promote the larger Trump brand and her
personal ventures.
She was right by his side on the campaign trail, and in January of 2017, she and her
hubby Jared Kushner both followed Trump to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to take on roles
as senior presidential advisors.
It's obvious that Ivanka has always been one of her pop's biggest fans, but body language
expert Dr. Reneé Carr, a psychologist and political and corporate advisor, took a closer
look at their relationship. She analyzed several videos of Ivanka to look for some subtle clues
as to her true feelings about her famous father and their relationship.
Carr points to a video of Donald and Ivanka Trump together at the 2016 Republican National
Convention, when Ivanka repeatedly refers to candidate Trump as her father. While Carr
notes that this isn't an unexpected form of address, she adds,
"The high frequency in which she states this fact that is a tell-tale sign that she leverages
her father's name, positions, authority, or fame to open doors for her and possibly to
control the actions of others."
"My father is a fighter."
The fact that she's spent most of her adult life working for him in some capacity also
backs up this assessment.
A video of Ivanka's speech at the 2020 RNC shows something quite different. This time
around, Ivanka — just as she's done ever since Trump moved into the oval office — repeatedly
refers to him as 'The President' instead of her "father," or, for more sentimental value,
her "children's grandfather."
"The President will continue to support you every step of the way."
Carr interprets this as providing further evidence that Ivanka, quote, "leverages her
father's position to assert her own power and to gain advantages," although it's worth
noting that at one point in her speech Ivanka does refer to the POTUS as "grandpa." She
describes his off-camera persona in order to humanize him and further build his case
as "the people's president," but also manages to slip in a mom-brag about, in her words,
"the greatest grandchildren on earth" with which she provided him.
Another clip that Carr analyzed is an ABC News video where Ivanka is seen defending
some of her father's often-contentious comments by saying that he "speaks from the heart."
Carr's takeaway from this footage is,
"Ivanka is highly biased toward her father's actions and often excuses them. [...] She
is more likely to blame others for her father's comments or actions rather than say anything
negative against her father."
Carr also noted how Ivanka looks to be "offended" whenever someone insults Donald, noting the
fact that she, quote,
"[Closes] her eyes as a subconscious act of not wanting to see anything less than perfect
about her dad."
One final observation that Carr provided regarding Ivanka's true feelings about her father comes
from a video of a speech in North Dakota back in 2017. This footage seemed to reveal that,
in Carr's words,
"[When Ivanka] really wants something, she will choose to call him 'daddy' rather than
her usual 'dad' during their first-person conversations."
"She's so good, she wanted to make the trip. She said, 'Dad, can I go with you?' She said
actually, 'Daddy, can I go with you?' I like that, right?"
Carr explains this dynamic by saying,
"[While] Ivanka is aware of the love and fondness her father has for her, she is also an intelligent
and ambitious young woman. As such, she knows how to get what she wants from her father;
and Trump is pleased to knowingly oblige her."
So Ivanka's heart belongs to Daddy — but she also knows how to leverage this to her
advantage.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more List videos about your favorite
stuff are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss
a single one.