Millionaire Jared Kushner: What is known about Donald Trump's influential son-in-law

Jared Kushner with his wife Ivanka Trump. Photo: depositphotos

While the whole world was waiting for the appearance of Donald Trump and Barack Obama after their meeting at the White House, journalists caught on camera a young man walking along the South Lawn near the president’s home, deep in conversation with Obama’s chief of staff, Denis McDonough.

McDonough was dedicated to Jared Kushner, an 35-year-old millionaire who quietly became one of Donald Trump’s closest advisors.

Jared Kushner with Ivanka Trump and daughter. Photo: Ivanka Trump @IvankaTrump

Kushner, the husband of Trump's daughter Ivanka, played a significant role in the Republican candidate's election campaign, directing Internet strategies and handling senior hiring.

Apparently, Kushner plans to retain his influence after Trump moves to the White House.

Shy in front of cameras and preferring to operate behind the scenes, Kushner is a successful developer and publisher.

He owns 666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, a skyscraper located within walking distance of Trump Tower. And in 2006, at age 25, Kushner purchased the once-respected New York Observer.

The young millionaire is not given a formal place in the Trump administration, but he, along with the 3 children of the elected president, became part of his transition team. It is believed that the elected president listens to Kushner’s opinion.

Jared Kushner is behind Ivanka Trump on the right. Photo: Ivanka Trump @IvankaTrump

Jared Kushner is an Orthodox Jew whose grandparents survived the Holocaust. In an editorial published in the New York Observer, he defended Trump against accusations of anti-Semitism that hit the millionaire after his “tweet” of Hillary Clinton and a 6-pointed star against a background of dollar bills, which was accompanied by the text: “The most corrupt candidate ever history."

“People see in him what they want to see,” Kushner wrote. “If they don’t like his political views, they’ll see other things they don’t like, like racism.” If they like his position, then they will perceive his words as slight criticism of his opponent. He talks about things that other politicians try to avoid. And that’s partly why so many people like him.”

Huge inheritance stained by scandal

Born and raised in a wealthy family in Livingston, New Jersey, Jared Kushner has 2 sisters and a brother.

His grandparents fled Poland during World War II and ended up in the US in 1949. His father, Charles, became rich on real estate sales in New Jersey.

According to Daniel Golden, author of The Price of Admission: How America's Ruling Class Buys Its Way into Elite Colleges, young Jared managed to get into Harvard despite his poor grades. .

According to the book, the year his son entered, Charles Kushner donated $2,5 million to Harvard, on par with similar donations to Cornell University and Princeton.

Jared Kushner's father Charles was sentenced to prison for a number of crimes, including tax evasion. Photo: Facebook/Jane White-Franco.

Like Donald Trump's father Fred, who was also a construction magnate, the elder Kushner has a checkered past.

He was sentenced to imprisonment for tax evasion, illegal contributions to the campaign and pressure on witnesses. In August, 2014, he admitted that he framed his sister's husband: he sent a prostitute to him, secretly filmed what was happening on a video camera and sent the film to his sister. Thus he tried to force his relatives to refuse to testify against him.

On the side of the prosecution in the case of Charles Kushner was the former chief prosecutor of New Jersey and the presidential nominee for the Republican Party in 2016, Chris Christie. It was reported that during the election race, it was Jared Kushner who advised Donald Trump to select Mike Pence as his partner, not Chris Christie.

Both Kouchner and Trump at a relatively young age inherited the development empires from their fathers, and partly their close relationship can be explained by similar experiences.

The father of the elected president, Frederick Trump, also had problems with the law: he appeared before the court on charges of racial discrimination in the allocation of housing.

The case of Trump Sr., who was then fiercely defended by his son Donald, was eventually settled out of court, and the defendant himself did not admit guilt.

In addition to a similar family history, Kushner and Trump are united by a complete lack of political experience. In his article in the New York Observer, Jared Kushner proposed applying the business approach to politics.

“The state consists of many layers - this is done in order to avoid mistakes. The problem with this approach is that it is very expensive and ineffective. In business, we empower smart people to do the work they need to do and give them the freedom they need to do it,” he explains.

Donald Trump has already said that his son-in-law is “very good at politics” and, apparently, trusts his opinion.

According to some information, it was Kushner who initiated the dismissal of the manager of the election campaign of Trump Corey Lewandowski.

As for Kushner's publishing career, things weren't going so smoothly with the New York Observer. The conflict with the publication's editor-in-chief Peter Kaplan, respected in the professional community, who held his post for 15 years, ended with the latter's resignation - 3 years after Kushner bought the newspaper.

Over the years, 6 has been replaced by 7 chief editors, and it is said that the quality of the newspaper has deteriorated markedly during this time.

As is the case with many other business interests related to the Trump campaign, it is not yet clear whether Kouchner's position as a newspaper publisher would be considered a conflict of interest due to his proximity to the elected US president.

In an interview with the New York Times last year, Kouchner said that having a newspaper in his property with a section on real estate does not prevent him from being a developer.

“People say different things. But many developers don’t understand that I have no influence on the content of the publication’s articles,” he noted.

Unlike his father-in-law, Kushner is considered a calm and restrained person who is shy of cameras and does not like to be in the center of attention. He also has a rather subtle physique, an ingratiating voice and looks younger than his 35 years.

But Kouchner's active participation in Trump's election campaign and his influence on the future president suggests that the young millionaire may soon become an important figure in Washington.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Ivanka Trump: America's first daughter

Another Donald: Trump in the pictures from a randomly emerging family archive

Wives, children, brothers and sisters: what is known about the Trump family

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