“On a human level, it’s my father, and I love him very much, so it’s painful to experience,” she told podcaster Lex Fridman. “But ultimately, I wish it didn’t have to be this way.”
Unlike brothers Don Jr. and Eric, Ivanka Trump didn’t attend her father’s trial and has said little about his ongoing legal cases. In May, after the former president was convicted in New York, she posted a childhood pic of herself with him and the phrase “I love you dad.”
While she was a fixture in the White House and on the campaign trail for her father in the past, Ivanka Trump said in 2022 that she’s not planning to return to politics but will instead prioritize her children and her family.
She told Fridman she made the decision as a parent because “politics is a rough, rough business.”
She added, “Politics is a pretty dark world. There’s a lot of darkness, a lot of negativity, and it’s just really at odds with what feels good for me as a human being.”
See the full interview below: