Donald Trump once tried—and failed—to play cupid for his daughter Ivanka, one of the president’s political foes has revealed.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom writes in his new book that during his first meeting with Trump in 2018, the president lamented that he had preferred NFL star Tom Brady for his daughter, Ivanka Trump, instead of her husband, Jared Kushner—and did so in front of Kushner himself.
Newsom recounts meeting Trump in person after devastating wildfires in California during Trump’s first presidential term, according to his memoir, Young Man in a Hurry, released Tuesday.
The pair was sitting aboard Marine One when Trump launched into a story about trying to set up Brady, now 48, and Ivanka, now 44, The Atlantic first reported.
Trump said he was disappointed to learn that his eldest daughter was already dating Kushner, whose father spent two years in federal prison for tax evasion, witness retalitation and other charges.
Much to Newsom’s apparent shock, Kushner sat silently as Trump tore into him.
“In front of the governor and future governor of California, Trump was making his son-in-law feel two feet tall,” Newsom writes. “And Kushner just let him do it.”
Kushner, however, has continued to reap the benefits of his ties to Trump. The president’s son-in-law achieved billionaire status this year, with the success of his private equity firm aided, in part, by connections he forged during Trump’s presidency.
Trump has also appeared to warm to Kushner. During his State of the Union address on Tuesday, the 79-year-old credited Kushner with helping negotiate his Gaza peace plan, working alongside Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia—three countries that together have invested more than $2.5 billion in Kushner’s firm.
Kushner and Ivanka now reside at a $24 million estate on Florida’s ultra-exclusive Indian Creek Island alongside their three children.
Trump has a long history of making eyebrow-raising comments about his daughter. In 2003, he told The Howard Stern Show that Ivanka was one of the “great beauties of the world,” and he also complimented her body. In 2006, during an appearance with Ivanka on ABC’s The View, he again drew attention to her looks.
“I’ve said that if Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I would be dating her,” Trump said at the time.
“If I weren’t happily married and, ya know, her father...” he added suggestively in a 2015 Rolling Stone interview, returning once again to the subject of dating his daughter.
While Trump may have softened towards Kushner, his relationship with Newsom has taken the opposite trajectory. The California governor—and potential 2028 presidential hopeful—has emerged as one of Trump’s most vocal critics.
Trump was caught reminiscing about their once-friendly relationship during a rambling speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month.
“We used to get along so great with Gavin when I was president,” Trump added, seemingly referring to his first term. “Gavin’s a good guy.”
At that point, cameras panned to the California governor—now one of Trump’s fiercest critics—who grimaced as the president spoke.
Newsom could barely contain his smile as Trump continued. “We’re going to [help him] if he needs it,” Trump said. “I would do it in a heartbeat. I’d love to… we did help them a lot in Los Angeles, a lot with the early in my term, [they] had some problems, but we would love to do it.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
