Donald Trump said his daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner will not serve in his administration if he is re-elected president in 2024 because it was “too painful for the family” last time.
“I said, that’s enough for the family. You know why? It’s too painful for the family,” Trump told Fox News host Bret Baier in an interview that aired partially on Sunday.
Baier had asked Trump if he planned to involve his daughter and son-in-law in a hypothetical second administration.
“No one has gone through what my family has gone through,” Trump lamented, adding that his daughter had “made a fortune” from a “really successful clothing line” before appointing her as one of his White House advisers.
“When I did this, she was for real — she shut it down,” Trump said. “She felt like she had to.”
Ivanka Trump closed its eponymous lifestyle brand in July 2018citing a dedication to her work in Washington and after a significant decline in sales.
She and her family members have long been criticized for avoiding conflicts of interest by maintaining their business ties while holding positions of influence in the White House.
She said last year she had no plans to be involved in her father’s 2024 presidential bid or politics, and would instead focus on her family.
Donald Trump also expressed his condolences to his second oldest son, Eric Trump, who was heavily involved in his father’s presidential campaigns and efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
“He’s a fine young man, good student, good at everything, come in. We’re doing great,” he said. “Then I decide to run for president. I mean, I don’t think anyone in the world in history has ever received more subpoenas.”
Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, was indicted earlier this month by a federal grand jury on 37 charges related to his removal of sensitive documents from the White House and refusal to return them. It followed a separate indictment in April by the Manhattan district attorney. In that case, Trump faces 34 charges of falsifying company records to conceal a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels.