The Trump family has 'been through hell,' the former president, whose daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner had official roles in the White House, said
Former President Donald Trump's children will not serve in the White House if he wins a second term, he said Monday.
"It's too painful for the family," Trump, 77, told Fox News host Bret Baier. "My family has been through hell."
"Eric, my son, is a fine boy. You know him very well. He's a fine young man. A good student, good everything," Trump continued. "Nobody has been through what my family has been through. Ivanka had a really successful line of clothing. I mean, making a fortune. When I did this, she was really - she closed it up."
Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, both had senior roles in the White House during Trump's term in office from January 2017 to January 2021. They have both been noticeably absent from Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, since Ivanka, 41, said last year that she intends to distance herself from the world of politics.
Related: Ivanka Trump Says She'll Stay Out of Politics 'Going Forward' as Father Announces 2024 Candidacy
"I love my father very much," Ivanka wrote in a November 2022 statement, just as her father launched his latest campaign. "This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family."
"I do not plan to be involved in politics," Ivanka added. "While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena."
Related: Ivanka Trump Focused on Family in Wake of Her Father's Indictment: 'Heartbreak Makes Her Stronger' (Exclusive Source)
After Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, Ivanka and Kushner, 42, moved to Florida with their children, Arabella Rose, 11, Joseph Frederick, 9, and Theodore James, 6.
She has not spoken out since her father's federal indictment this month, although she did issue a short statement after Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury earlier this year for allegedly paying adult film star Stormy Daniels hush money during his 2016 presidential campaign.
"I love my father, and I love my country. Today, I am pained for both," Ivanka wrote in March. "I appreciate the voices across the political spectrum expressing support and concern."
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In his federal criminal case, Trump faces multiple charges after more than 100 classified documents were recovered from his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida last year.
Trump pleaded not guilty in a federal court in Miami. Trump was charged with 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information (a violation of the Espionage Act); one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice; one count of withholding a document or record; one count of corruptly concealing a document or record; one count of concealing a document in a federal investigation; one count of scheme to conceal; and one count of false statements and representations.
Related: Donald Trump's Historic Arraignment: A Full Recap, Plus What Comes Next
Since then, Ivanka wished her "most incredible father" a "happy birthday" on June 15. A Trump source told PEOPLE last week that Ivanka's relationship with Trump remains strong after his second indictment.
"It has been a rough period for all of the Trump kids, but Ivanka has always been especially close to her father," the source told PEOPLE. "She loves him, her kids love him, and they are still a close family. But Ivanka does not want to be involved with the legal issues. She is removed from it and has adapted well to Miami. Her whole family loves it."
Related: Ivanka Trump Celebrates Daughter's Bat Mitzvah with Siblings Days After Donald Trump's Federal Indictment
Ivanka and Jared are also going "about their lives" as they are "used to controversy," the source explained. "Is Ivanka upset about what is happening to her father? Yes, but she hasn't abandoned him," the source said. "They interact and are still a family. That is the way the Trumps are."
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