As President Donald Trump struggled with a healthcare bill that just wasn’t resonating with Congressional Republicans, two of his top advisers—his daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner— were otherwise occupied. What was so important that they couldn’t break away to help the Oval Office refine its message to woo legislators? Jared and Ivanka were in Aspen for their annual ski trip to the swanky resort town.
According to reports, Trump, who had just cleared out room for Ivanka in the West Wing a week earlier, was livid that his children and their spouses had taken time off during one of the most important moments in his early Presidency.
“[Trump] is upset that his son-in-law and senior adviser was not around during this crucial week,” a source close to the White House told CNN.
The job of pressuring Congressional Republicans into shape, then, fell to Steve Bannon and Reince Priebus, whose tactics weren’t as kind and gentle as Ivanka’s. Kushner was supposed to be guiding the president on the finer points of healthcare.
Bannon reportedly lost his temper at a Republican Freedom Caucus meeting, and now wants to use the Obamacare fight to create a White House “enemies list.” He also wants to launch an internal campaign against Paul Ryan—not exactly a blueprint for lasting friendships.
Ivanka and Jared’s absence might have been intentional. Jared has been “shaping” the White House’s healthcare policy, despite having no healthcare experience of his own (aside from a tangential connection to his brother’s healthcare app, Oscar). He allegedly has been encouraging the White House to pull back on its aggressive push to replace the Affordable Care Act.
It’s possible Kushner wasn’t happy with the “Obamacare alternative” that ended up coming to the House floor and wanted no part of the conflict.
But this also isn’t the first time Ivanka and Jared have missed crucial moments in the Trump Administration, off gallivanting on pricey vacations. It’s possible the pair want to keep living the way they did as New York elite, even as they’ve committed to helping run the free world from Washington.
In August, as Trump hit the campaign trail, the pair were jet-skiing with (prominent Democratic donor) David Geffen in Croatia. As Trump’s transition was taking form, Ivanka and Jared flew to Hawaii for a holiday break, sunning themselves on the beach as Trump struggled to line up advisers and fill key roles (hundreds of which still remain empty).
This time, they were skiing with the rest of the Trump family in Aspen as their father struggled in the first legislative battle of his Presidential career.
The two also seem reticent to fully commit to their White House jobs, choosing to live in the posh Kalorama neighborhood instead of the White House residence, where President Trump currently lives alone. Instead, Jared and Ivanka’s security force is clogging up residential streets, and their neighbors are complaining because the family has yet to learn the trash schedule.
Ivanka will have a West Wing office now, but isn’t expected to use it full time, even though she and her husband consider themselves the conscience of the Administration—and major forces on policy.
After this weekend, though, it’s likely Donald will crack down on his errant children, at least if he intends to keep them on board.