Major Controversies Surrounding Ivanka Trump: A Detailed Timeline
A closer look at the most debated and controversial moments involving Ivanka Trump.
Ivanka Trump is an American businesswoman and the daughter of former U.S. President Donald Trump. She served as a senior advisor in her father's administration from 2017 to 2021, also holding the position of Director of the Office of Economic Initiatives and Entrepreneurship. Prior to her role in politics, she was known for her business ventures and involvement in the Trump Organization.
2014: Richard Prince's Payment for Art
In 2014, Richard Prince received a $36,000 payment for a work depicting Ivanka Trump, which he later returned in 2017 as a protest.
July 2016: Trademark Applications in China
In July 2016, Ivanka Trump applied for 36 trademarks in China.
January 2017: Trademark Approvals in China
In January 2017, Seven Ivanka Trump's trademarks were approved in China between her father's inauguration.
April 2017: Travel to the W20 Women's Summit
In April 2017, Ivanka Trump traveled with Julie Radford, Dina Powell, and Hope Hicks to the W20 women's summit, organized by German women's organizations as a preparatory meeting for the G20 summit. At the conference, held in April 2017, Trump spoke about women's rights, and faced some audience backlash for praising her father.
2017: Richard Prince's Protest
In 2017, the artist Richard Prince returned a $36,000 payment he received in 2014 for a work depicting Ivanka Trump as a protest against her father.
December 2018: Inaugural Committee Spending Investigation
In December 2018, WNYC and ProPublica reported that Ivanka Trump partly negotiated rates of hotel rooms, rental spaces, and meals at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., on which her father's inaugural committee spent funds it privately raised.
May 2019: Inauguration Document Request
In May 2019, the United States attorney for the District of Columbia requested documents about Ivanka Trump and her sibling's role in her father's inauguration.
June 2019: Attended G20 Osaka Summit
In June 2019, Ivanka Trump and her father attended the 2019 G20 Osaka summit. A video of her interaction with world leaders was released by the French government, leading to online parodies.
November 2019: Father Ordered to Pay Settlement for Foundation Misuse
In November 2019, Ivanka Trump's father was ordered to pay a $2 million settlement for misusing the Donald J. Trump Foundation for his business and political purposes. The settlements included mandatory training requirements for Ivanka and her two elder brothers.
2019: Ivanka Vacuuming Art Exhibition
In 2019, Jennifer Rubell's art exhibition "Ivanka Vacuuming" featured a model resembling Ivanka Trump vacuuming crumbs thrown by spectators.
July 2020: Tweeted Endorsement of Goya Foods
In July 2020, Ivanka Trump tweeted a picture of herself with a Goya Foods bean can, endorsing the product, after the company's owner praised President Trump. This action in July 2020 raised ethics concerns due to her position as an official adviser in the White House.
January 6, 2021: In Attendance at Rally and Encouraged Father to Condemn Riots
On January 6, 2021, Ivanka Trump was in attendance at the rally at the Ellipse and encouraged her father to make a video on Twitter condemning the riots at the U.S. Capitol. Donald Trump's video on January 6, 2021 resulted in him being banned from the platform.
2021: Government Accountability Office Audit
In 2021, a Government Accountability Office audit concluded that Trump's initiative, which spent $265 million a year of taxpayer money on 19 women's empowerment projects, failed to target the money towards projects that related to women's empowerment, and did not measure the impact of the spending.
June 2022: Testified to January 6 Committee
In June 2022, Ivanka Trump told the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack that she did not believe the election was stolen and accepted William Barr's conclusion that voter fraud claims had "zero basis".
