Molly Jong-Fast: “It’s been three weeks since Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. The 2016 election made Donnie Junior, Ivanka, and even simple Eric Republican Party superstars, just because of who their father was. But today, they’re learning nepotism’s hardest lesson in real time, which is that your fortunes are irreparably linked to the success of said father. So when Trump lost his reelection, the biggest losers were actually his three large adult children. Trump may still be a God-like figure in the Republican Party, but just how long that lasts after January 20 is anyone’s guess. For the Trump children’s fortunes, cracks are already starting to show.”

“Ivanka has been masterful at shaping the narrative. Despite her complete and utter uselessness and inability to control her insane and evil father, she has still been lauded continuously as a ‘moderating force’ despite no evidence supporting this assessment whatsoever. Ivanka has been able to shape the narrative about herself by using her favorite ‘a source familiar with Ivanka’s way of thinking’ trope. Since daddy’s been in the bunker trying to get Republicans to change the results of the 2020 election for him, a new genre of Ivanka news story has flowered and bloomed—the ‘will they ever be welcomed back’ piece. As in, to New York society. But unlike some other Ivanka story genres, this is the type of piece the queen of narrative-shaping is clearly not able to shape. CNN ran a piece calling the pair a ‘once-golden power couple’ and ‘a senior Republican’ told CNN, “Wait until they realize no one is taking their calls.’ Then The New York Times’ Ginia Bellafante wrote a piece headlined, ‘Will Manhattan’s Elite Really Spurn Ivanka and Jared (and Their Money?),’ which ultimately made the point that if Ivanka is rich enough she can probably come back to New York City. Whether or not this assessment is true (it probably is), it speaks to the fact that Ivanka is no longer controlling the narrative about herself.”