Ivanka Shared A Photo Of Her Children To Celebrate Hanukkah
Impeachmas may be dominating the news cycle, but it's not the only holiday the first family is celebrating. While President Donald Trump is known for celebrating Christmas, his daughter is Jewish, and Ivanka Trump's Instagram for Hanukkah 2019 was, unsurprisingly, all about family. It's nice to see everyone's still staying in the holiday spirit, impeachment or no.
It's been a wild few months for the first family, not to mention America. On Dec. 18, President Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives on two charges, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The White House did not reply to Elite Daily's request for comment on the vote, although the president referred to the impeachment proceedings as "invalid" in a Dec. 17 letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. In the immediate aftermath, Ivanka Trump stayed pretty silent across social media, eventually emerging some 18 hours later to tweet about her father signing the FUTURE Act, which is intended to improve access to college for low-income students. On Dec. 20, she also shared to her Instagram a clip of her discussing family leave and the impeachment on CBS This Morning. "He's energized," she said of her father in a clip on her Instagram story, before calling the impeachment "the first purely partisan" impeachment proceeding.
But with the holidays just beginning, Ivanka has taken a little time away from the political whirlwind to focus on family and the spirit of the season. On Sunday, Dec. 22, the former fashion designer took to Instagram to ring in the start of Hanukkah with a message to her followers. The Jewish holiday goes from Sunday night through Dec. 30.
"Happy Hanukkah! May your Holiday Season be filled with joy, love and light," she wrote, sharing a photo of her son and daughter holding a candle. "Chag Chanukah Sameach!" Vice President Mike Pence can be seen in the background of the image.
Although her father has been open about promoting "Merry Christmas" over more inclusive versions of holiday well-wishes like "Happy Holidays," Trump herself does not actually celebrate Christmas. Raised Presbyterian, according to the New York Daily News, Trump converted to Judaism in 2008 after she and Jared Kushner briefly split due to religious differences. In 2009, she wed Kushner, and the couple now has three children together.
“I always shied away from it being a public conversation because it’s such a personal thing," Trump said about converting in the March 2015 edition of Vogue. "We’re pretty observant, more than some, less than others. I just feel like it’s such an intimate thing for us."
Trump added that she had no regrets about the decision, calling Judaism an "interesting juxtaposition" to her upbringing. "It’s been such a great life decision for me," she told the publication. "I am very modern, but I’m also a very traditional person, and think that’s an interesting juxtaposition in how I was raised as well. I really find that it Judaism, it creates an amazing blueprint for family connectivity."
Despite the public attention on the impeachment and the strain it's no doubt putting on the first family, it looks like Ivanka is trying not to let that get to her and is instead choosing to put her focus on her loved ones during the holidays.
