Trump’s family stands by his side at his inauguration

The inauguration of Donald J. Trump is not simply a restoration of power for the former president. It is also a return for his family.

They left Washington four years ago, estranged from many of their former friends and acquaintances in New York City because of their work in the administration. They return to Washington with more political and cultural support – and a far better understanding of how to exercise their soft power.

Of course, everyone is a little older. Barron Trump, who was in elementary school when Mr. Trump took office in 2017, is now a freshman at New York University. He towered behind Mr. Trump’s shoulder Monday during the inauguration ceremony, sitting next to his mother, Melania.

The future first lady was both visible and inscrutable, wearing a sharply tailored navy suit and a large sailor hat that hid her eyes. Mrs Trump, who largely retreated from the public eye after leaving the White House, plans to join her husband in Washington, DC and take part in an Amazon documentary.

“This time I have everything, I have the plans,” Mrs. Trump said in an interview on Fox News last week. “I’ve already packed. I’ve already selected the furniture to go in. It’s a very different transition this time.”

The family ties extend to Mr. Trump’s parents-in-law. Mr. Trump chose Charles Kushner, father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as the next US ambassador to France. He appointed Massad Boulos, whose son is married to Mr. Trump’s daughter Tiffany, who advises in the Middle East.

Not everyone is more visible than they were four years ago. When Mr. As Trump was sworn in, his four children — Donald Jr., Eric, Ivanka and Tiffany — gathered around him to celebrate his victory.

Donald Jr., who has emerged as a key conduit to his father’s base, appears poised to continue his role as guardian of Mr. Trump’s political flame. Earlier this month, he traveled to Greenland in what appeared to be an attempt to support his father’s threat to buy the nation.

Eric will continue his role running the family business as executive vice president of the Trump Organization. His wife, Lara, recently stepped down as co-chair of the Republican National Convention.

Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, were key advisers under Mr. Trump’s first term with offices in the West Wing. This time, the couple plans to stay in their opulent Miami mansion, where they retired after Mr. Trump lost in 2020. Politics, Ivanka Trump said in a recent podcast interview, is a “very dark, negative business.”

The couple does not completely escape the limelight. Mr. Kushner now runs a $3 billion private equity fund funded by the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as well as by Terry Gou, the Taiwanese billionaire and founder of Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer. His ties are likely to prompt a steady stream of questions about whether the couple gets special treatment from foreign governments given their closeness to the president.

“Obviously the world is different for us over the next four years if her father is president,” Mr. Kushner in October. “But you know, no matter what, our lives are just going to keep moving forward.”