Advisor to the President and First Daughter Ivanka Trump has plenty of intriguing relationships
in her life, including her connection with her siblings, her stepmother, and, of course,
her father, President Donald Trump. And then there's her fascinating relationship with
her husband, Jared Kushner, who just so happens to also be an advisor to the President.
The List asked life coach and relationship expert Nicole Moore for her take on the power
couple, and her insights were eyebrow-raising. Examining the pair's body language, one of
Moore's big takeaways is that Ivanka's warmth, in public appearances, at least, seems to
come out in interactions with her father, but not in interactions with her husband.
In response to a clip of Ivanka and her father at an event celebrating American workers from
March 2019, for example, Moore said,
"What's interesting is that Ivanka's diplomatic-like exterior truly changes when she's around her
dad. In [the clip] where Trump introduces his daughter, you'll notice that her entire
face lights up and she bursts into a warm smile. This is the kind of look you'd expect
her to give to her husband, yet it seems as if her body language indicates that perhaps
she's more comfortable showing affection to her father than to her husband."
Moore adds that in all the media clips she's reviewed, she, quote, "never came across Ivanka
smiling that wide at Jared." While that may be somewhat unusual, it's not all that Moore
picked up about Ivanka and Jared's relationship.
When it comes to Ivanka and Jared, she's undeniably more famous, and is arguably more influential,
which is why you may not be surprised to find out that, according to Moore, she quite literally
takes the lead in the relationship - at least when they're in the public eye. Moore said,
"In nearly every image or photo of the couple walking, Ivanka is slightly in front of Jared.
The body language is clear: he defers to her power and lets her take the lead."
Beyond that, Moore notes that, quote, "the power dynamic between the couple is abundantly
clear: Ivanka is seen as the more important one in the relationship." Our expert refers
to the couple's 2017 appearance at the National Chinese Day Reception in Washington, singling
out a moment when Ivanka steps in front of Jared, and Jared, quote, "has to move out
of the way and move to the outer edge to accommodate Ivanka's desire to speak with the man they're
walking with." Moore notes,
"The body language is clear: Jared literally has to move himself out of the way to accommodate
Ivanka's desires. This could be seen as chivalrous from one perspective or, it could be that
he's so used to deferring to Ivanka that it now comes naturally to him."
Moore adds that Ivanka's body language in the clip is subtle, but powerful, observing,
"The body language seems to indicate that Ivanka feels more important than him or else
she would not have stepped directly in front of him to move to talk to the man. She would
have communicated her desire to Jared and asked him to switch with her. Instead, she
just went ahead and did it. This indicates a subtle lack of respect for Jared's wishes."
Ivanka and Jared are the parents of three children, daughter Arabella and sons Theodore
and Joseph. During a 2017 interview with Deborah Roberts for ABC News, Ivanka had plenty of
kind words for the father of her children.
"He's a remarkable human being. He's kind and thoughtful and he's an unbelievable father."
According to Moore, this sentiment from Ivanka was genuine. She told The List,
"You can see when she starts to mention him as a father that her smile widens and her
energy lights up. That's indicating that she genuinely believes what she's saying."
Moore says that based on their body language, Ivanka and Jared, quote,"don't hate each other,
and there is love there, but it's not warm affection." Moore continues,
"In nearly every clip of the couple together, they speak, they pose next to each other,
it appears as if on the surface everything is hunky-dory. However, what's missing is
genuine displays of affection or exuberance about being partnered with each other."
The life coach and relationship expert pointed out that, quote, "when someone is really in
love, you literally can't stop them from talking about the other person." However, when Jared
is asked about Ivanka in an interview from December 2017, for example, "he kind of just
lets the question slide," according to Moore, who adds,
"His body language here indicates that he's not super in touch with his feelings of love
for Ivanka. He might intellectually think he's lucky to be with her, but he's not feeling
it deep within his heart and soul in this moment enough to effusively state how much
he loves her."
"We actually got introduced through two business colleagues, and I got very, very lucky in
that one."
Moore backs this up by noting that in nearly every clip of the couple, they're holding
hands, however, quote, "what's missing are true indicators of warmth" and "romantic spark."
In fact, even when they do attempt to seem close, such as this Instagram photo of the
pair sitting together on a fence, Moore notes,
"They are close to each other with their arms around each other yet their faces appear tight.
Their bodies appear rigid. They're not soft and cuddly when they lean into each other.
The body language indicates this photo is more staged, rather than displaying genuine
affection."
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