Are things about to sour between the Orange baboon and his best daughter’s husband? Reports are that Trump has said that he wishes Ivanka had produced a different son-in-law for him, namely NFL star Tom Brady. He has reportedly said that Kushner “hasn’t been so good” for him. Does this signal winds of change in the White House – this time at the expense of Princess Ivanka’s hubby?
According to the New York Times, Trump joked that he “could have had Tom Brady” as a son-in-law. “Instead,” the president said, according to people who heard him, “I got Jared Kushner.” He has also gone from telling aides to “talk to Jared,” as he did during the 2016 campaign, to telling them that, “Jared hasn’t been so good for me.”
Trump has also reportedly told his friends and John F. Kelly that he wished both Kushner and his daughter Ivanka would return to New York.
Yet the Times also reports that because Kushner has outlasted many of his critics and rivals he isn’t likely to head for the exits anytime soon. The list of aides who Jared has been at odds with – some who remain and others who have left – includes: Corey Lewandowski; Reince Priebus; Stephen K. Bannon; Donald F. McGahn II; Kellyanne Conway; Chris Christie; Rex W. Tillerson; Michael D. Cohen, Marc E. Kasowitz. Jared’s privileged position as a family member has allowed him to outlast other aides in an environment where expectations have been shifted and, at times, lowered on his and his wife’s behalf.
Since the Middle East peace process – the policy area specifically assigned to Kushner – has made little-to-no progress, perhaps Jared will turn to what he seems to do best. Simply outlast the people who are obstacles to his success. The most obvious rival currently is Chief of Staff John Kelly “whose approach to security clearances they feel unfairly targeted them” and who, both Jared and Ivanka believe, has spread negative information about them. Whether John Kelly will join the list of Jared-rivals who are no longer at the White House remains to be seen.
Or just maybe the Orange Baboon will keep dreaming of Tom Brady? It’s never a good sign when your father disapproves of your husband – makes for very awkward family dinners. Could these little “jokes” be a signal of changes to come?
