Ivanka Trump's Presence At the State Of The Union Is All But Certain
When it comes to who will be at the 2018 State of the Union address — President Donald Trump's first in office — there are a few certainties you can bank on. Congress members, Supreme Court justices, U.S. diplomats: they'll all be in attendance, as they have been at the past State of the Union address, and those that came before. But will Ivanka Trump be at the State of the Union? With the State of the Union coming up on Tuesday, Jan. 30, people are looking for signs from Trump's family.
According to White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, it's a yes. Sanders told reporters on Monday that "all off the president's children — and the first lady — will be at the State of the Union, with the exclusion of Barron," Trump's youngest child.
This wasn't a total surprise. After all, Ivanka was at her father's joint address before Congress in February 2017 (which was a speech delivered in the very same manner as a State of the Union).
On that occasion, Ivanka sat in the first lady's box, next to occasion's guest of honor, Carryn Owens, the widow of fallen Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens. The moment during which President Trump acknowledge Carryn Owens would ultimately become on of the more memorable of the night.
As far as this year goes, the first daughter arguably has even more of a reason to attend President Trump's address. Since last year's joint address, Ivanka Trump has taken up an official White House role, becoming an adviser to the president and setting up an office in the White House (which itself was a notable story).
It's not uncommon for members of the president's staff to be present at the annual event, and Ivanka Trump has very much been involved in President Trump's politics over the past year.
For example, before Republicans passed a sweeping tax reform bill, Ivanka worked with members of Congress to secure an expansion of the child tax credit. That work included an appearance with senators on Capitol Hill, where she spoke about how her efforts focused on helping families.
"Today in the vast majority of American homes, all parents work, our tax code has to recognize and support this reality and support our dual values of work and of family," she said during a press conference in October.
The first daughter also has a history of representing the Trump administration during televised interviews.
During an appearance last December on Fox & Friends, Ivanka Trump said, "We're going to deliver historic tax reforms and it's going to happen before Christmas. It's going to be the fulfillment of an enormous campaign promise, and something that's just tremendously important for the American people."
Then there's the fact that, more often than not, Ivanka Trump also tends to be with the president wherever he goes. She was with him when he took his first trip abroad as president. She was also with him at the G20 summit in Germany, where she represented the United States at a panel discussing "Partnership with Africa, Migration and Health."
During one of the president's most recent trips, the first daughter traveled with him to a factor in Pennsylvania, where she spoke to workers about (you guessed it) the success of the GOP's tax reform efforts.
"We worked so hard on tax cuts and tax reform," Ivanka told employees at the H&K equipment company. "And the President, my father, was very specific about what he wanted to accomplish. It was so core to him to support hardworking, middle-income families, and the Child Tax Credit is key to doing that. So it’s going to be a big win for everyone in this room and everyone across this country, and we are very, very excited about that."
The bottomline? Given Ivanka Trump's standing as both first daughter and an adviser to the president, chances are she'll be a welcome fact to the president at the State of the Union address.
