Ivanka, Tiffany Trump Will Fulfill First Lady Duties, With Melania Trump Living in New York City

[RandySF]

Ivanka Trump has denied that she wants any sort of post in her father's White House. She insists that she has no ambitions. "I just want to be a good daughter," but it's clear that she will be much more than that to the Trump administration. An attractive and vibrant woman, she will no doubt fit the bill well, as First Daughter. With the First Lady planning to be largely absent, Ivanka will make an ideal substitute First Lady.

Ivanka Trump, 32, and her sister, Tiffany Trump, 23, campaigned together. Ivanka loves to entertain, is used to being by her fathers side running his businesses. She plans to advocate for equal pay and maternity leave for women. In doing so, she will fill much of the traditional First Lady Role. Elusive Melania will likely be absent from the public eye, quietly raising her son Barron in New York City.

She will be sent to events when Donald is too busy or too far away to attend; she will meet with people he cannot meet, and she will deliver speeches in front of female audiences, given his past.

"We're in a time when all the molds are being broken," said Katherine Jellison, head of the history department at Ohio University and an authority on first ladies. "That may be the case where we have a redefining of a role that, after all, isn't in the Constitution."

http://www.smobserved.com/story/2016/12/09/politics/ivanka-tiffany-trump-will-fulfill-first-lady-duties-with-melania-trump-living-in-new-york-city/2311.html

[kimbutgar]

1. That marriage with Melania is one in name only

I bet she hates the orange hitler. She probably was going to divorce him after he lost the election. Now she is stuck.

[LisaL]

12. Trump's role model, Putin, divorced while in office.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

21. Perhaps Trump will go all Henry VIII. nt

[mackerel]

2. I've never thought of myself as a traditionalist but this just seem so weird to me.

[RandySF]

3. No young, blonde woman in DC is safe.

[madaboutharry]

4. Trump and Melania seem to not even like each other.

There is no chemistry.

[brush]

6. Yeah, he shows more affection to Ivanka than to his wife.

[bdamomma]

23. I think

Ivanka is trumps translator because he doesn't understand anything fuckin stupid man.

[democratisphere]

26. Who or what could have chemistry

with IT?

[Retrograde]

5. So will NYC send the bill for any extra Secret Service coverage to Trump?

We the taxpayers are paying for protection for the president and his family in a nice house in DC. If part of that family wants to live elsewhere (and isn't that counter to all the GOP memes about the sanctity of the family) that's fine, but we shouldn't have to pick up the tab.

[niyad]

7. didn't you see the bit about the ads hawking the presence of the secret service as an incentive

to live in the dump? excuse me, trump tower.

donnie is a supposed billionaire. let him pay the added expenses.

[niyad]

8. aren't the children supposed to be running his businesses?

[bettyellen]

10. Today they said just the sons will

[niyad]

19. the animal killers.

[underpants]

27. That's some brain trust.

[jaysunb]

9. Low profile will keep tongues from wagging.

She's got lots of baggage....

[milestogo]

11. Tiffany is the black sheep daughter and Ivanka is the daughter-wife.

This should go well.

[underpants]

28. Yeah I thought Tiffany was basically shunned

Soooo this is getting weird

[erpowers]

13. This Presents A Problem

Even if only the sons will be running the family business(es) this still presents a problem. Ivanka was one of the kids who was set to help run the family business. She is still Donald Trump's daughter and sister to Donald Jr. and Eric. She could easily work on business deal while in the White House. She could use her and her father's position to influence business deals.

This needs to be prevented. People in Congress need to step up and force Trump to keep his daughter(s) out of the White House. The wife should perform the role of first lady; not the daughter(s).

[Ilsa]

14. So Melania hangs back so she can

continue that creepy mothering that might get too much attention in DC.

I wonder if someone has more stuff on her? I wonder if she was ever an escort to someone in DT's Cabinet?

[Hekate]

15. There's ample precedent for a daughter or niece to take the role. Alice Roosevelt was much more ....

....outgoing and vivacious than her stepmother, so she of the "Alice blue gown" assumed the role of hostess for TR. Was it Taft who was a bachelor? He had a niece.

The WH has always had need of a skilled social secretary/hostess, but custom has it being the wife's unpaid job. If not the wife, then another female relative.

Melania never wanted this job. I think "raising Barron" is her go-to excuse for keeping away from The Donald's affairs as much as possible. She looks like an unhappy woman to me.

[Retrograde]

16. Buchanan's niece did the hostess duties

for her uncle, as he was the only never-married president. I believe Andrew Jackson's niece also did First Lady duties, as he was a widower. Theodore Roosevelt's second wife, Edith, was the official hostess during his stay in the White House - Alice, daughter of his first wife (who died shortly after her birth) was notorious for her flouting of conventions.

"First Lady" is an ill-defined job. The wife of the president is expected to act as official hostess for state dinners, decorate and maintain the White House, and recently adopt some causes to advocate. However, she gets no salary, and is subject to a lot of criticism because of who she married. IMHO, Melania never bought in to being a political wife, and is way above her head. Pity, she's in a good position to advocate for immigrants' rights.

[RonniePudding]

22. WHat makes you think she would be an "advocate for immigrants rights"?

[Retrograde]

25. I don't think she will be

I've seen little evidence that she's interested in anything - but since Ms Johnson at least First Ladies have had a cause they pushed, and, as an immigrant who (if what I've read is accurate) first came to the US under questionable circumstances and may have been exploited by her employers she could in a less f'ed up world talk about some of the problems they face.

Realistically, I think she'll stay in her Manhattan lair, and her priorities will include getting her hair done and picking out tacky decorations.

[pnwmom]

18. Except not when the wife is young and healthy. I don't think it's fair to make

NYC or the Federal taxpayers pay for securing two full-time residences for the Trumps.

I agree about Melania. She's just window dressing.

[cwydro]

17. That's exactly what I thought would happen.

This is all so bizarre.

[KamaAina]

20. She'd better stay away from the Lincoln Bedroom.

[Fast Walker 52]

24. that's not weird at all

[underpants]

29. At this point I think Christie would be willing to put on a dress, wig, and lipstick

and I wouldn't be surprised if Trump embarrassed him further by letting him do it.

[milestogo]

30. It could happen.