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Ivanka Trump, assistant to the president: ‘I try to stay out of politics’

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June 26, 2017
President Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka Trump at the White House on June 13. Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters

Ivanka Trump serves as a special assistant to her father, President Donald Trump. But she says getting involved in politics isn’t really her thing.

“I try to stay out of politics,” the White House employee said in an interview published Monday in response to a question about her father’s tweeting habits.

Trump went on to praise her father’s political career in the “Fox & Friends” interview.

“His political instincts are phenomenal. He did something that no one could have imagined he’d be able to accomplish. There were very few who saw it early on. I feel blessed with being part of the ride from day one and before but he did something pretty remarkable. But I don’t profess to be a political savant, so I leave the politics to other people and really lean into the issues that I care deeply about,” the president’s Jewish daughter continued in the “Fox & Friends” interview.

Those issues include helping working families and veterans as well as addressing opioid addiction, Trump said.

Trump admitted to having disagreements with her father, although she did not elaborate where their differences lay.

“I make it very clear where I stand on a certain issue, so I give him my open and candid feedback. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we disagree. We’re different people, so there are areas we disagree,” she said.

Trump, who has published a book about women’s empowerment in the workplace, and her husband Jared Kushner have been criticized by some on the left for keeping silent on issues such as LGBT rights and climate change. After tweeting her support for LGBT Pride Month earlier this month, she was slammed by social media users who pointed out that Vice President Mike Pence has spoken in favor of gay conversion therapy and against same-sex marriage.

In the “Fox & Friends” interview, Trump also responded to a question about her conversion to Judaism, calling it “a very personal decision.”

“I tend not to talk about my faith too openly. It’s one of the few things in my life that’s truly my own, especially these days. But I think for me religion serves as a great reminder of what’s important, a great reminder of core values. It helps me connect with my children. It helps us connect as a family and really create a framework for how we want to live our lives,” she said.

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