How Ivanka Trump lost friends and was shunned by US high society after joining her father in politics

Ivanka Trump said in November 2022 that her time in politics was over, and that she wouldn't help Donald Trump's 2024 campaign.

The announcement hinted at the personal cost she paid for playing a public role in Trump's political career.

Prior to working in the White House, Ivanka was a businesswoman, runway model, and fashion designer. She was popular.

She has been famous her entire life. She even starred in a 2003 documentary about growing up rich and famous.

As an avid Manhattan socialite, Ivanka was often invited to red-carpet events and has been pictured with other celebrities, including Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

That started to change when Trump launched his 2015 presidential campaign, putting his family front and center.

Ivanka joined him on the campaign trail, making high-profile speeches at events like the Republican National Convention in July 2016.

Ivanka Trump speaks at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio on July 21, 2016.Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images

When he won the 2016 election, Trump soon appointed Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, as unpaid White House advisors.

During her time in the White House, Ivanka faced fierce criticism from those who wanted her to use her influence to stop Trump implementing some his policies.

In 2017, major retailers ditched Ivanka's clothing brand following customer protests and weak sales.

Ivanka Trump presents her Spring 2012 clothing collection on March 6, 2012.George Pimentel/WireImage for The Bay

Some of the retailers who dropped Ivanka's clothing brands included Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Gilt, and Burlington.

In July 2018, Ivanka was forced to shut down her fashion company, saying in a statement: "I do not know when or if I will ever return to the business, but I do know that my focus for the foreseeable future will be the work I am doing here in Washington."

Source: Insider

Some of the retailers who dropped Ivanka's clothing brands included Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Gilt, and Burlington.

In July 2018, Ivanka was forced to shut down her fashion company, saying in a statement: I do not know when or if I will ever return to the business, but I do know that my focus for the foreseeable future will be the work I am doing here in Washington.

Source: Insider

That same year, "Saturday Night Live" aired a fake commercial for a fragrance called "Complicit" which featured Scarlett Johansson and mocked Ivanka's role in the White House.

The skit's voiceover described Ivanka as "the woman who could stop all this, but won't."

Source: Saturday Night Live

That same year, "Saturday Night Live" aired a fake commercial for a fragrance called "Complicit" which featured Scarlett Johansson and mocked Ivanka's role in the White House.

The commercial appeared to upset Ivanka, who "couldn't stop bemoaning it" at a senior staff meeting, Omarosa Newman, a former political aide to Trump, said in 2018.

In a separate interview, Ivanka responded to the skit by saying: "If being complicit is wanting to be a force for good and to make a positive impact, then I'm complicit."

In 2018, a string of celebrities whom Ivanka followed on social media made a concerted effort to shame her over the Trump administration's policy of separating migrant children from their families at the US border.

When Kushner and Ivanka traveled to Rome for a wedding in 2019, other guests shunned them to avoid being in the same photos, Vanity Fair reported.

Ivanka also lost many friends due to her role in the White House.

Lysandra Ohrstrom, Ivanka Trump's childhood best friend, said last year that their different stances on social issues led to them growing apart.

Ivanka also used to be friends with Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Trump's 2016 rival Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton.

But Chelsea Clinton said in 2020 that she decided to cut her ties with Ivanka because she had "no interest in being friends with someone who is not only complicit but actively taking part in this administration's everyday collision of cruelty and incompetence."

Ivanka was hurt by how friends "turned their backs" on her during her father's administration, an unnamed source told The New York Post after she said she wouldn't return to politics.

After Trump lost the 2020 election, a Vanity Fair report claimed that Ivanka and Kushner would not be welcomed back in some New York circles if they tried to return to the city, citing interviews with former friends.

Two comedians, known as the "The Good Liars," even hung up "not wanted" signs with Ivanka Trump's face on them around New York City.

—The Good Liars (@TheGoodLiars) November 28, 2020

How Ivanka Trump lost friends and was shunned by US high society after joining her father in politics

Ivanka Trump said in November 2022 that her time in politics was over, and that she wouldn't help Donald Trump's 2024 campaign.

The announcement hinted at the personal cost she paid for playing a public role in Trump's political career.

Prior to working in the White House, Ivanka was a businesswoman, runway model, and fashion designer. She was popular.

She has been famous her entire life. She even starred in a 2003 documentary about growing up rich and famous.

As an avid Manhattan socialite, Ivanka was often invited to red-carpet events and has been pictured with other celebrities, including Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

That started to change when Trump launched his 2015 presidential campaign, putting his family front and center.

Ivanka joined him on the campaign trail, making high-profile speeches at events like the Republican National Convention in July 2016.

When he won the 2016 election, Trump soon appointed Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, as unpaid White House advisors.

During her time in the White House, Ivanka faced fierce criticism from those who wanted her to use her influence to stop Trump implementing some his policies.

In 2017, major retailers ditched Ivanka's clothing brand following customer protests and weak sales.

That same year, "Saturday Night Live" aired a fake commercial for a fragrance called "Complicit" which featured Scarlett Johansson and mocked Ivanka's role in the White House.

The commercial appeared to upset Ivanka, who "couldn't stop bemoaning it" at a senior staff meeting, Omarosa Newman, a former political aide to Trump, said in 2018.

In a separate interview, Ivanka responded to the skit by saying: "If being complicit is wanting to be a force for good and to make a positive impact, then I'm complicit."

In 2018, a string of celebrities whom Ivanka followed on social media made a concerted effort to shame her over the Trump administration's policy of separating migrant children from their families at the US border.

When Kushner and Ivanka traveled to Rome for a wedding in 2019, other guests shunned them to avoid being in the same photos, Vanity Fair reported.

Ivanka also lost many friends due to her role in the White House.

Lysandra Ohrstrom, Ivanka Trump's childhood best friend, said last year that their different stances on social issues led to them growing apart.

Ivanka also used to be friends with Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Trump's 2016 rival Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton.

But Chelsea Clinton said in 2020 that she decided to cut her ties with Ivanka because she had "no interest in being friends with someone who is not only complicit but actively taking part in this administration's everyday collision of cruelty and incompetence."

Ivanka was hurt by how friends "turned their backs" on her during her father's administration, an unnamed source told The New York Post after she said she wouldn't return to politics.

After Trump lost the 2020 election, a Vanity Fair report claimed that Ivanka and Kushner would not be welcomed back in some New York circles if they tried to return to the city, citing interviews with former friends.

Two comedians, known as the "The Good Liars," even hung up "not wanted" signs with Ivanka Trump's face on them around New York City.

Ivanka and Kushner ended up choosing Miami, Florida, over New York City and have been spending time with their three children.

A source told The New York Post that she "hated all the criticism and the threats" that came with being in politics.