Before she wished Trump a happy 77th birthday Wednesday, Ivanka Trump had made a show of trying to distance herself from her troubled father -- at least publicly.
Perhaps to dispel reports that she’s no longer an engaged daughter, Ivanka Trump on Wednesday posted a tribute to former President Donald Trump for his 77th birthday, telling her embattled father that she wishes him “a year filled with the happiness you deserve.”
In her Instagram post, Ivanka Trump also hailed him as “the most incredible father,” saying his “love, energy and strength inspire me every day.” The woman who reportedly was Trump’s favorite child also shared several photos of herself with the former president, including one of him on the golf course with her and two of her children and one of her, as a baby, with him and her late mother, Ivana Trump.
Ivanka Trump’s post comes the day after Trump appeared in federal court in Miami, where he is facing 37 counts related to his hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. During his court appearance, Trump pleaded not guilty to allegations that he showed off classified information to Mar-a-Lago visitors, haphazardly stored boxes of secret papers around his estate and lied to and obstructed federal investigators.
This is Trump’s second criminal case, and he’s earned the infamy of being the first current or former president to be charged in state and federal courts with breaking the law. Trump also faces charges in Manhattan, related to his alleged affair with Stormy Daniels and the money paid in 2016 to buy the porn star’s silence.
Amid Trump’s myriad legal troubles, Ivanka Trump has made a show of trying to distance herself from her father — at least publicly. She hasn’t been by his side at either of his criminal arraignments, or as he’s launched his third campaign to become president.
On the other hand, when Trump was the star of the reality TV show “The Apprentice,” ran for president in 2016 and 2020 or met with other world leaders as president, Ivanka Trump was a highly visible presence.
But Ivanka Trump wasn’t with other family members at Trump’s 2024 presidential-campaign announcement at Mar-a-Lago. She explained in a statement that she and her husband Jared Kushner were done with politics. “While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena,” she wrote.
Up until Wednesday, Ivanka Trump had not posted any photos of her father on her main Instagram feed for several months, New York magazine reported. He turned up in a single shot from her sister Tiffany during Tiffany’s wedding at Mar-a-Lago in November. Over the weekend, Ivanka Trump posted a number of family photos to celebrate the bat mitzvah of her 11-year-old daughter Arabella, but she buried her father in a series of photos on Instagram Story, which would disappear from her feed in 24 hours.
Maybe Ivanka Trump is looking to change her approach to her father’s legal troubles or his 2024 campaign, if she’s now devoting an entire Instagram post to wishing him happy birthday. Previous reports said she would generally try to keep her public association with her controversial father to a minimum, with one source even telling Page Six that she “will be staying far away from daddy.”
Or, perhaps her post Wednesday goes along with the statement she released after Trump was indicted in Manhattan — that she’ll continue to love her father, no matter what, and that she’ll continue to support him, though privately and “outside the political arena,” as New York magazine said.
“I love my father and I love my country. Today, I am pained for both,” Ivanka Trump had said. “I appreciate the voices across the political spectrum expressing support and concern.”
