California Governor Gavin Newsom has disclosed how Donald Trump reacted upon learning that his daughter Ivanka was dating Jared Kushner, now his son-in-law. In his memoir, Young Man In A Hurry, Newsom recounts a 2018 trip on Marine One after wildfires ravaged the state.
According to a review in The Atlantic, Trump allegedly told a story about trying to set Ivanka up with NFL star Tom Brady, only to discover she was 'already dating some schmuck whose father got out of prison.' The remark referred to Kushner, whose father Charles was convicted of tax evasion and witness tampering in 2005. Kushner was present on the aircraft alongside Newsom and former Governor Jerry Brown.
Newsom writes that Trump 'was making his son-in-law feel two feet tall' and that 'Kushner just let him do it.' Charles Kushner was later pardoned by Trump and nominated as U.S. ambassador to France in 2024.
Jared Kushner, who married Ivanka in 2009, has no official role in Trump's second administration but has been involved in Middle East negotiations, including efforts to broker peace between Israel and Hamas. His private equity firm, Affinity Partners, has profited from billions tied to geopolitical crises he works on informally.
Newsom, seen as a potential Democratic presidential candidate for 2028, continues to clash with Trump. He recently criticised Trump's State of the Union address as the 'State of the Snooze.'
