Jared Kushner Image by Getty Images

By Nathan Guttman January 30, 2017

Weekend reporting in the New York Times provided a peek into the Trump White House’s inner workings and the role played by his Jewish son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Formally described as senior adviser to the president, Kushner has emerged as Trump’s closest ally in the West Wing. “He has told several people that all things on nearly every topic ‘run through me,’ according to two people with direct knowledge,” the Times reported.

Kushner, alongside chief strategist Steve Bannon, is in the process of forming a mini-think tank, dubbed the Strategic Initiative Group, which will deal with large-scale issues.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Kushner, according to another Times story, is viewed by all as the closest to the president and, in fact, the only adviser who is not subordinate to Bannon.

“In terms of real influence,” the Times reported, “Mr. Bannon looms above almost everyone except the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in the Trumpian pecking order, according to interviews with two dozen Trump insiders and current and former national security officials.”

Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected]

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount