Ivanka Trump gave a rare interview yesterday, appearing on the Diary of a CEO podcast. The show, hosted by the British entrepreneur Steven Bartlett, embodies the mix of individual hustle and mental health awareness that is rapidly becoming the dominant mode online. “You’re a bit of an empath, right?” asked Bartlett during a segment on business negotiation tactics. “Oh for sure,” answered his guest.

Trump came across as a frazzled and slightly besieged figure. She was tired of the “nasty swirl of social media” and the “gladiatorial” aspect of politics. She claimed to have found solace in Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, the treatise on stoic philosophy now much in vogue among people like Bartlett. It was written “by a literal emperor,” Trump reminds us. She became emotional on two occasions when talking about her mother, who passed away in 2022. These were met with slightly irritating whispers of “it’s OK” from our host. “If you don’t know who you are, the mob wins,” Ivanka concludes.

Ivanka has had a varied career. After a stint as a model she made $800 million through her own fashion line, which then fell victim to the institutional backlash against her father’s politics as retailers such as Nordstrom cut ties. She then served as a senior advisor to Trump Sr. during his first administration, working alongside her husband Jared Kushner. Large parts of MAGA world, including Steve Bannon, would come to bewail the influence of “Javanka” over the Trump White House. It is perhaps no coincidence that the second administration, where different advisors have been chosen, has proven much more radical in terms of policy – though Kushner still plays a significant role in foreign policy this time around.

What has Ivanka been doing since she stepped back from........

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