First Daughter Ivanka and First Siblings Kushner White House 'Others'

Source: Yonhap News

Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka and eldest son Jared Kushner are both expected to be "sidelined" in the U.S. "Donald Trump 2nd" administration.

Kushner will not hold a White House position in the new administration, which will take place on Jan. 20 next year, Britain's Financial Times said, citing unnamed sources.

However, he added that he is likely to be in charge of advice on Middle East policy.

He also explained that there is a possibility that Kushner's opinion will be reflected when selecting a security figure to take charge of Middle East policy at the White House.

Kushner, who comes from a Jewish family, is said to have close ties with high-ranking officials in the Persian Gulf states and Israel.

He served as a senior presidential adviser at the White House for four years in Trump's first term, which began in January 2017, and also served as the director of the "American Innovation Bureau," which was established in the White House from March 2017.

The U.S. government also played a key role in mediating the 2020 "Abraham Accords," which led some Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, to establish diplomatic relations with Israel.

The second Trump administration is expected to try to increase the number of Arab countries normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel.

In particular, if the United States succeeds in mediating the establishment of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, it is expected to be a significant diplomatic achievement.

Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka, led the Office of Economic Initiatives and Entrepreneurship Officer, which was created under the Presidential Office, along with the first Trump White House as a presidential adviser, but will not take up the post in the second term.

Ivanka and Kushner have been living in Miami, Florida, since the end of Trump's first term, and have since appeared at events as Trump's family members but have not made political moves, including speeches.

Kushner founded Affinity Partners, a $3 billion (W4.2 trillion) investment fund, in 2021.

The fund has received almost all of its investment from foreign investors, with a high proportion of sovereign wealth fund funds, especially in countries around the Persian Gulf.

Because of this, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee is investigating investment fees the fund receives from foreign clients with Affinity Partners.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, a Democrat, sent an official letter to the company in September, expressing concern that foreign governments' motivation for investing in the company appeared not to be a commercial consideration but to seize "the opportunity to give foreign government money to Trump's family, namely Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump."

Wyden noted that foreign governments could have significant leverage over the Trump family through Affinity Partners, leading to serious conflicts of interest.

Kushner said the criticism was unfounded and that the company was complying with all relevant regulations.