Can Kim Kardashian Make People Like Ivanka Trump?

As her father attempts to win his way back to the White House in 2024, Ivanka Trump apparently has set her sights on a comeback of her own. And she has a secret weapon: Kim Kardashian.

Something of a social pariah among the coastal elites since her father's presidency, Trump has been publicly distancing herself from politics since her father lost in 2020. Now she seems to be reentering mainstream pop culture in arguably the most prominent way you can: posing with Kardashian on social media.

Kardashian herself posted the photos on her Instagram Stories to celebrate Trump's 42nd birthday. Apparently, the two are friends and have been for years.

“Happy birthday to the most thoughtful, sweetest soul,” Kardashian wrote in part.

Fine, I'll say it: This feels strategic. It's hard to remember now, but before her dad decided to give politics a try, Trump had a decent career as an influencer-slash-girl-boss.

Sure, it could be argued that she nepo-babied her way into a role at her family business and onto The Apprentice, but it seemed to be working for her. Remember her clothing line? Or Women Who Work? That could have been the next Lean In.

The point is, before 2016, Trump was gliding along doing decently for herself in both business and reputation. Then, well, we all know what happened.

Trump tried her hand at politics (it didn't go well), and when her father got the boot, she slowly started receding from the arena. Last year she announced she wouldn't be participating in his 2024 campaign, saying she was “choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family.”

Call me a cynic, but that statement never rang true to me. What seems more likely is Trump had realized that being associated with her father was a liability and pivoted. She probably misses the days when she could be shadowed at the Met Gala by People magazine and cosplay as a career woman without anyone calling her an insurrectionist. Her recent Instagram posts, which feature influencer-esque family shots and friends outings, seem to hearken back to her old persona.