Will Ivanka Trump Run For President? First Daughter To Work In White House, Transition Role Unclear

Hillary Clinton had a clear message for every American woman following her stunning defeat to Donald Trump. She claimed in her concession speech that the highest and hardest glass ceiling would eventually break. "Hopefully, sooner than we might think right now," Clinton added.

One of those women likely watching Clinton’s speech was Ivanka Trump, a mother and entrepreneur who became one of the president-elect's most important figures along the campaign trail.

Her speech at the Republican National Convention garnered the attention of centrists deterred by her father’s most controversial remarks about women and minorities. The 35-year-old’s grace and poise during one of the most polarizing elections in modern history became a symbol of what the future president is capable of creating. However, Ivanka Trump could be carefully building her house of cards, meeting with influential politicians, creating legislation and policy—all in an attempt not to bolster support for her father, but instead to construct the beginnings of a long-term political career in Washington.

Her start could be in her father’s administration. Though Ivanka Trump lacks a specific title in the president-elect’s transition team, she’s had as much of an observable role as Trump’s closest advisors, like former Campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway, and far more than that of Donald Trump's pick for White House Chief Strategist and Breitbart executive Steve Bannon. She sat in on a diplomatic phone call between Trump and the president of Argentina, as well as an in-person meeting with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Her widely reported meeting with former Vice President Al Gore focused on environmental policy and climate change. When Nancy Pelosi began discussing women’s issues with Trump in a congratulatory phone call for his Election Day victory, the president-elect reportedly passed the phone off to his daughter.

Ivanka Trump was even seen standing on the sidelines when rapper Kanye West appeared in the lobby of Trump Tower for an unannounced meeting on Monday, watching the news-making developments closely in real time. Just as she’s done since the start of her father’s campaign.

Still, there have been no concrete discussions for her to eventually pursue public office, though it appears likely she’ll be working in the White House come Inauguration Day. News broke Wednesday night the transition team was planning to designate what’s typically the first lady’s office in the east wing to the future first daughter, instead of future first lady Melania Trump.

When Donald Trump was still vying to become the Republican party’s presidential nominee, and Ivanka was preparing for her third child, the business mogul hinted she could one day take the same interest in transitioning into politics like her father.

"I have learned in life to never say never! It is too limiting," Ivanka Trump told Cosmopolitan in March. She noted her interests at the time solely focused on her businesses, as well as "working alongside my brothers to expand the global footprint of the Trump Organization."

But now, with her husband Jared Kushner expected to receive a top-level position in Trump’s administration and her influence on the White House transition abundantly clear, what’s next for the president-elect’s daughter remains unknown.

Trump's maintained an active role in her businesses while dealing with the daily activities of the White House transition, much to the concerns of Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill alike, who are calling for a “wall” between Trump and his family’s business interests. However, praise for Ivanka Trump remains high, with nearly 50 percent of Americans having a favorable view of the next first daughter according to those surveyed in an August Gallup poll. Melania Trump has a mere 38 percent favorable rating.

One thing is for sure: Donald Trump has maintained ambitious hopes for his five children, with Ivanka Trump the most visible of them all.