Ivanka Trump is in Israel for reasons that make no sense

IVanka Trump reemerged in Israel this week, smiling beautifully as her father’s fans cheered and cameras clicked. She is radiant, decently dressed – and, by the way, do you know That when she converted to Judaism in 2009, her father didn’t even know she was going to do so?

Now you do, because of course the President of the United States added a long account of all this during his hour-long speech to the Knesset on Monday. It happened after she and Jared spent the weekend addressing the crowd at a rally in Tel Aviv, celebrating a victory for something they really had nothing to do with.

Because it’s worth remembering that Ivanka’s political resume is, in fact, limited to “daughter of Donald, wife of Jared.” And Jared Kushner himself has no official role in this administration, but that hasn’t stopped him from having a hand in the most delicate piece of geopolitical diplomacy he’s conducted in nearly a decade.

He is now planning Gaza’s future with Tony Blair, which I’m sure anyone following developments in the region will feel completely reassured about.

The whole spectacle feels like a mid-budget Netflix satire about American decline, which maybe House of cards Was a more dystopian reboot. President’s child, Who once sold a blouse worth 500 dollars on InstagramNow working like an unofficial ambassador to a foreign parliament. And her husband – a boy who used to do real estate work badly – Deciding Gaza’s future with a former British prime minister whose most famous political move was chasing George W. Bush into Iraq over weapons that didn’t exist.

Historically speaking, presidential children have traditionally been props rather than proxies. They wave from parade floats, pose with turkeys and Christmas trees, and disappear into their parents’ private lives. If they’re really unlucky, they’ll Being called ugly by a Republican candidate For political points. But flying to Israel to promote dad’s Middle East accomplishments? It shouldn’t work this way.

Then, Melania recently spoke to Putin on the phoneSo maybe it’s all just whatever.

One can only imagine what a day Fox News would have had if Malia Obama had marched to the Knesset during an uncertain diplomatic moment. In fact, even the Kennedys – America’s premier political dynasty – understood the need for admirable qualifications. When JFK made his brother Attorney General, Bobby was at least a well-known lawyer. (Obviously, the less said about Bobby’s son, Brain Worms Jr., the better.) Similarly, Beau Biden served as Delaware’s attorney general — but only after serving as an officer in the Army and a federal prosecutor.

In contrast, Ivanka’s most relevant experience is once photographed near a peace treaty. She is an “adviser” according to the White House, although it is unclear exactly what topics she might be qualified to advise on. (Somewhere far away, Eric is still poignantly waiting for her signal.)

Of course, Donald Trump tore up the old rule book on nepotism years ago and replaced it with family group chats. Despite having no prior government service, Ivanka and Jared became senior White House advisers for the first time, and by the end of their tenure they were traveling to international summits.

During a particularly awkward moment in 2017, Ivanka Memorably took a seat at the G20 table Among other world leaders like Xi Jinping and Angela Merkel. He is extremely comfortable, in other words, placing himself at the center of geopolitical action, regardless of merit. Because politics is another business of Trump, and every business is a family business.

Now, with her father once again in the global spotlight and the world in varying stages of panic over what this means, Ivanka’s return to public life feels inevitable and a little surreal. She has remained largely silent during this second, far more unruly administration, reportedly trying to “distance herself” from toxic politics. But now he is in Israel, at the center of the action again.

Ivanka has been brought up to soften the Trump brand nearly a hundred times since 2016. Unlike Melania – whosei don’t really care, do youThe jacket launched a thousand op-eds when she wore it to visit a child migrant detention center in 2018 — she’s a savvy operator. Each presentation is short, sweet and scripted. At one time, before JD Vance, everyone assumed that “Ivanka 2028” was a real possibility. Maybe it still is.

Trumpism made corruption new, so things like this – a serious misstep once in a while or at least pretending to be a little embarrassed for a few moments – can never be used against them. Nepotism has long ceased to be embarrassing for Republicans and is now aspirational—proof that you trust your blood more than The Swamp. The fact that Ivanka has no diplomatic experience is a feature rather than a bug. He is the anti-expert, the beautiful embodiment of the idea that lineage alone is qualification enough.

So yes, it’s a bit strange to see Ivanka bowing to international developments she didn’t make. But perhaps it’s the perfect image for our era: a woman who was born into power, blessed with privilege, bathed in soft light, and appreciated just for showing up. Meanwhile, in the background, thousands of CDC scientists have just been laid off Years of data about pregnancy safety and birth outcomes Disappearing forever. What does it mean for a charity to start at home? Oh come on, spoil the game, who cares?

If America’s Founders could see Ivanka now, they might cry. Or perhaps they’ll shrug and say, “Ah. So the monarchy is back. I guess the experiment failed.”