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These Chelsea Clinton Quotes About Ivanka Trump Show How Their Friendship Has Evolved
Though they might have a lot in common with their experiences of being first daughters, that doesn't necessarily mean they're bonded for life. Chelsea Clinton's quotes about Ivanka Trump over the years seem to reflect a genuine warmth that may have slowly turned chilly after Donald Trump began his term as president. Now, it doesn't seem like the two are speaking much at all, according to Clinton.
It's not surprising that Clinton and Ivanka would have a pretty tense relationship in the wake of one parent losing the presidency and another parent winning it. In the best of scenarios, that would definitely be awkward. But Clinton's opinion of Trump does not reflect any sort of neutrality; in fact, she has openly cited her opposition to his administration on a moral level on several occasions.
To The Guardian in an exclusive interview in May, 2018, Clinton said of the Trump presidency,
I now believe that intentions and tone and decency matter, because I think the wreckage that we’re seeing at this moment is one that will, I hope, be repaired on the policy standpoint when we elect Democrats. But I think we will still then have work to do on repairing the tone in our country, the exposure of the real racist and sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic and antisemitic feeling which is on the rise in our country – a rot that has been exposed.
Clinton and Ivanka may not speak often now that Trump's president, but it wasn't always like that. These quotes by Clinton about Ivanka show that she used to think very affectionately of her, in the beginning.
When She Praised Ivanka's Awareness
In a February 2015 Vogue interview, Clinton said of Ivanka, "She’s always aware of everyone around her and ensuring that everyone is enjoying the moment. It’s an awareness that in some ways reminds me of my dad, and his ability to increase the joy of the room. There’s nothing skin-deep about Ivanka, and I think that’s a real tribute to her because certainly anyone as gorgeous as she is could have probably gone quite far being skin-deep."
When She Spoke Out About Their Differences
By the 2016 election, Clinton's public perception of Ivanka had changed just a bit. Though she conceded that they were still friendly, she was quick to point out that they were not really aligning on their beliefs. In conversation with hosts on Today, she said, “Clearly, Ivanka and I have very different views about who we think should be our president, who we think best represents our country."
When She Admitted They Hadn't Spoken In A "Long Time"
The night before Trump's inauguration to the Oval Office, Ivanka said of Clinton to 20/20, "She's a very good friend of mine. She’s been a friend of mine long before the campaign, [and] of course will be a friend of mine after. I haven’t spoken about the specific challenges about this next chapter with her just yet, but I intend to."
However, by March of 2018 things seemed to have changed, at least for Clinton. In a conversation with Stephen Colbert, Clinton said of their friendship, "I have not spoken to [Ivanka] in a long time. It's clear, though, that she has supported policies and decisions that I don't agree with. I've been very vocal about my opposition to President Trump."
When She Made It Clear Ivanka's "Responsible" For Her Choices
In a May 2018, interview with The Guardian, Clinton made it pretty clear that she has no sympathy for anyone who works for the Trump administration, including her old friend, Ivanka. When asked by interviewer Decca Aitkenhead if she felt any sympathy for Ivanka "having to do her father's grotesque bidding," Clinton replied, “She’s an adult. She can make the choices for herself."
She added, "We are responsible for our choices.”
Clinton hasn't spoken about her friendship or relationship with Ivanka much since then. However, on May 31, Clinton did take time to defend Ivanka from Samantha Bee, who called Ivanka the "c-word." Clinton tweeted, "It’s grossly inappropriate and just flat-out wrong to describe or talk about @IvankaTrump or any woman that way."
Disclosure: Chelsea Clinton's husband Marc Mezvinsky joined Social Capital, an investor in Bustle Digital Group, in mid 2017 and joined the Board of Bustle Digital Group in early 2018.
