Ivanka Trump Told Dr. Oz She's in a 'No-Income Family'
In an interview that aired Thursday, Ivanka Trump sat down with Dr. Oz to promote her political agenda and show America that her family is just like us. There was just one glaring issue: Her family is nothing, at all, like us.
To Trump’s credit, she spoke with Dr. Oz about the national need for more paid family leave and her own personal struggles with postpartum depression—issues that countless American women can relate to. But her talking points might have thrown viewers for a loop when Dr. Oz, referencing the fact that both she and husband Jared Kushner work for the president, said, “So you’re basically a dual income family.”
Trump replied with a laugh, saying, “Actually, we don’t take an income.” She laughed again and said, “So we’ve waived our salaries, so we are a no-income family right now.”
The audience applauded the first daughter’s statement—but there’s just one problem. Trump and Kushner may have nobly waived their White House salaries, but they’re still making plenty of money.
As The New York Times explained, despite their roles in the White House, both Kushner and Trump remain beneficiaries of their businesses, which hardly makes them a “no-income family.”
Trump maintains a financial stake in the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., The New Times noted. That hotel has drawn ire as the family and spokespeople—including one-time press secretary Sean Spicer—have reportedly “encouraged” diplomats and high-ranking international visitors to stay there or stop by for a visit to build better ties with the first family. Though it’s still unclear how much Trump will make from that particular hotel, Kushner’s financial disclosure forms, which include his wife’s ample assets, revealed that she earned somewhere in the market of $1 million and $5 million from the D.C. hotel between January 2016 and March 2017.
But wait, there’s more. Remember Trump’s recent book? As CNN noted, the first daughter was given a $787,500 advance from Penguin Random House for Women Who Work.
As for Trump’s husband, while Kushner has stepped down from an active role in his various companies (266 of them to be exact), he will still remain the beneficiary of the several trusts set up in his name.
As Larry Noble, a former general counsel and chief ethics officer for the Federal Election Commission told The New York Times, Kushner simply stepping down—but still benefiting—from his companies “is not sufficient.”
“While removing himself from the management of the businesses is an important step, he is still financially benefiting from how the businesses do,” Noble said. “This presents the potential for a conflict of interest. Given his level in the White House and broad portfolio, it’s hard to see how he will recuse himself from everything that may impact his financial interest.”
All told, the couple’s combined assets could total upward of $762 million, according to Business Insider. Actually not having an income is a harsh reality for many Americans—tens of millions of them, in fact—and isn’t something to giggle about on national television.