Ivanka Trump to step down from businesses

Jan 13, 2017 06:00 am

Ms Ivanka Trump, the United States' incoming first daughter, will step down from the Trump Organisation and her own label, US media reported on Tuesday.

This is because her husband Jared Kushner is joining US President-elect Donald Trump's administration as a special adviser to the incoming Republican commander-in-chief, and any further business role for her might have invited potential conflicts. Ms Trump, who is vice-president of development and acquisitions at the Trump Organisation and who has set up her own company that sells clothes, shoes and jewellery, also has to comply with US ethics laws.

MOVE

The couple are destined to move from New York to Washington, reportedly snapping up a new home in an upscale neighbourhood, but US media do not expect Ms Trump, 35, to take on a formal job at the moment.

Her husband's appointment comes despite a federal nepotism law - passed after then-president John F. Kennedy appointed his younger brother Robert as attorney-general - that prohibits any president from hiring a relative.

The Washington Post reported that while Ms Trump plans to resign from the Trump Organisation and step away from her company, she will focus - at least in the short term - on settling her family in Washington.

She came under fire shortly after the election when her company used her appearance in a family television interview to market a US$10,000 (S$14,000) gold bracelet that she wore during the segment. - AFP