Ivanka Trump reveals the ‘hardest decisions’ she made to protect her family in candid confession

Ivanka Trump opened up about the key life lesson she had learned while navigating family life and politics, and revealed why she didn’t regret stepping back from her duties at the White House. 

The mom of three, who chose not to take up an advisory position during her father Donald Trump’s second presidential term, shared on the David Senra podcast that she never looked back after making decisions like that for herself and her family. “If you don’t know who you are, the world will tell you, and it may not be an answer you want,” Ivanka said.

“The world is noisy, especially when you have a certain level of visibility; it projects onto you as much as it receives you, so I think you have to do the work of really getting to know yourself and what feels right.”

She continued: “Some of the hardest decisions I’ve taken – and sometimes it’s really about saying no, and setting boundaries, changing course – when those decisions, regardless of how hard they are, align with your values, it always feels good.” 

Ivanka added that while it “can be difficult” to make those decisions, “you never question it, you never second-guess, and you don’t look back and wonder, ‘What if?'” 

“It’s the decisions you take that don’t fully feel right, that don’t align with your true self, with those core values that you hold – those are the things that I think you always regret,” she concluded.

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The 44-year-old revealed in 2022 that she would not return to the White House after working as one of her father’s aides during his first term. “I love my father very much. This time around I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family,” she shared in a social media post. “I do not plan to be involved in politics.” 

“While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena. I am grateful to have had the honor of serving the American people, and I will always be proud of many of our Administration’s accomplishments.” 

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Ivanka instead chose to move her three kids, Arabella, Joseph and Theodore, to Miami alongside her husband, Jared Kushner. During this transition period, the former fashion designer weathered several setbacks, including the loss of her mother, Ivana Trump, in 2022, and Jared’s diagnosis of thyroid cancer for the second time. 

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Ivanka previously shared on The Diary of a CEO podcast that she sought therapy during this time, as the family “had just left Washington” and “our life was in flux”. After weathering the heartbreak of that difficult period, Ivanka has now pledged her support to her former sister-in-law, Vanessa Trump, who announced in May that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was undergoing treatment. 

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“While this isn’t news anyone expects, I’m working closely with my medical team on a treatment plan,” Vanessa, who was previously married to Ivanka’s brother, Donald Trump Jr., wrote on Instagram. “I am staying focused and hopeful while surrounded by the love and support of my family, my kids, and those closest to me.”

“Praying for your continued strength and a swift recovery. Love you mama,” Ivanka added in the comment section.