Weird Things About Ivanka Trump & Jared Kushner's Marriage Everyone Ignores
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's relationship appears impeccably flawless for all intents and purposes. But break through the fairytale façade, and there are more than a few weird things about their union that prove there's no such thing as perfect regarding love and marriage. For instance, Ivanka's decidedly strange relationship with her father, Donald Trump, would be cause for concern for many spouses.
However, Jared appears totally unfazed about the eyebrow-raising things Donald has said about Ivanka over the years, including a litany of lewd comments and inappropriate remarks. Then, there's the fact that Ivanka's future in-laws, Charles and Seryl Kushner, were not fans of their son's wife-to-be. They were so lukewarm that they even urged Jared to break up with Ivanka. Jared came from a pious family of Modern Orthodox Jews, and they did not want their son to marry outside of their faith. "I know he loved Ivanka dearly," Jared's friend Nitin Saigal told The New Yorker in August 2016. "But the religious thing was important to him."
Jared caved to his parents' wishes, much to Ivanka's disappointment and chagrin, and they split in 2008. They eventually reunited, Ivanka converted, and they said, "I do," in 2009. Still, Donald and his daughter's unconventional dynamic and the couple's religious differences aside, there are plenty of other weird things about Ivanka and Kushner's seemingly picture-perfect marriage that everyone appears to ignore.
Ivanka and Jared's wedding promo
The bride-to-be often tackles the majority of her big day's planning. Still, the groom usually has some input. Not Jared Kushner, though. He left the whole kit and kaboodle to Ivanka Trump. "He put so much time and effort into designing the most perfect ring for me! I think he is now enjoying taking a backseat as I handle the rest," she told Brides.
Left to her own devices, Ivanka made sure the wedding was a high-society spectacular. Manhattan's elite was among the 500 guests, including Anna Wintour, Rudy Giuliani, Barbara Walters, and Regis Philbin. Donald Trump's daughter, always a daddy's girl at heart, also ensured the family's business empire was front and center. A flier offering a free round at Trump Organization's golf clubs was reportedly included inside wedding invitations. It's unknown if the wedding venue was included in the offer, the happy couple tied the knot, or rather, signed the Ketubah, at Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster, New Jersey. Mazel Tov!
The newlyweds' differences were glaringly apparent during their fathers' speeches, with a guest telling Vicky Ward, author of "Kushner Inc: Greed. Ambition. Corruption," that they couldn't have been more opposite. "Ivanka's great, and Jared's great, and they're great together, so let me give a toast," Donald said. "I'm like, is that all you've got?" the guest recalled remarking. In contrast, Charles Kushner's speech was described as "memorably, startlingly emotional."
Ivanka and Jared's hand-holding photo ops
During Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's snazzy Bedfordshire wedding, it was reported that the bride repeatedly tried to hold hands with her groom, to no avail. This is kind of ironic, given her father's frequently rebuffed attempts at PDAs with his spouse, Melania Trump. It's also ironic because since tying the knot, the couple seems incapable of stepping out in front of the cameras without holding hands.
In May 2018, Refinery 29 asked body language expert Patti Wood what she thought about Ivanka and Jared's seemingly constant need for public entanglement. Wood became decidedly Freudian, claiming she believed it all stemmed from Ivanka's super awks and strange relationship with her father, Donald Trump. "You see pictures of her as a child where she had an affectionate, 'high-touch' relationship with her dad, so she sees this type of attention from men as normal," Wood opined.
A lot has been written about Ivanka and Donald's unusually strong bond. In his 2023 book, "Blowback: A Warning to Save Democracy from the Next Trump," former Trump administration official Miles Taylor made a disturbing claim about the dad and daughter dynamic. "Aides said he talked about Ivanka Trump's breasts, her backside, and what it might be like to have sex with her," the author asserted.
Ivanka and Jared's off-camera indifference
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are the epitome of a cozy and connected couple when photographers are around to document their every move. However, apparently, things are drastically different when there's no camera or reporter in sight. A source who witnessed Ivanka and Jared in the flesh at a Miami yacht party told Page Six in December 2022 that the duo appeared disinterested and disengaged during the evening's festivities.
"I never saw them interact. They stood in the same group but almost as acquaintances," the eyewitness claimed. "As they moseyed around the party, they kept their distance [from each other] — never too close; never too far apart." By all standards, it was an unusual and rare glimpse into Ivanka and Jared's private bond. She's purportedly super aware of projecting a particular image when people are watching and seldom drops the ball in public.
"Ivanka's unusual. She's a little bit like Bill Clinton. She seems to be on message one hundred percent of the time," a source told the New Yorker. The magazine noted that Chelsea Clinton seconded the sentiment in an interview with Vogue in 2015 (via The Guardian). "[Ivanka is] 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," Chelsea claimed.
Ivanka and Jared's power dynamic
Jared Kushner's father, Charles Kushner, gives Ivanka Trump's dad, Donald Trump, a run for his money in the fortune stakes. Sadly for Charles, though, he still manages to lag behind. In 2017, Forbes estimated the Kushner empire's fortune to be around $1.8 billion. Conversely, Donald Trump's net worth is believed to be $5.6 billion. Although, given the recent fraud trial, it's difficult to assess the actual value of his assets.
However, regarding Ivanka and Jared's relationship, not only is currency out of balance, but also agency. Patti Wood told Refinery 29 that photos of the couple suggest Ivanka is the one who holds all of the power within the pair. The body language expert cited the fact that Ivanka frequently walks in front of Jared when holding hands, signaling she's the leader of the pack — the same reason Donald is always charging ahead of Melania Trump and probably why he attempted to do the same with the late Queen Elizabeth II during a state visit in 2018.
"Anyone with Ivanka would be a power couple. I mean, she's really amazing," Jared told Van Jones at the CITIZEN by CNN forum in New York in October 2018, admitting they'd be BFFs if there wasn't a spark between them. "Again, Ivanka's brilliant," he continued. "We were always involved in each other's businesses and knew what was going on. But working together has given me an even greater appreciation for just how effective she is."
Ivanka and Jared's work-life imbalance
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner likely hope the couple who works together stays together, as the spouse's work-life balance appears somewhat — off. Trump told New York magazine in July 2009 that she'd learned to cook since meeting Kushner and that she loved to rustle up a tasty treat for him so they could "turn everything off and spend time together and talk about what we're working on." Trump gushed about captivating business dinners with Kushner and bragged about how "all Sunday he's in the office."
Clearly, Trump and Kushner derive a lot of their pleasure from work. Still, that doesn't mean they don't know how to incorporate a little play into their marriage. "I try really not to try to schedule anything on the weekends," Trump told Harper's Bazaar in July 2024. "Just because of what we're passionate about, Jared and I will go walk around neighborhoods and look at properties that he owns and that I own, but that's fun." And it doesn't stop there.
"This is our den. Our computers are side-by-side," Ivanka told the "Today" show during a home tour in September 2012. She explained that it was a perfect setup because after the couple did their parental due diligence each night, they "get to work again. So it's nice being able to do that next to each other."