Enigma In The White House – Jared Kushner

36 year old Jared Kushner used to be one real estate heir among the many that reside in New York City. But ever since his father in law, Donald Trump, became president of the United States, Kushner was thrust into the center of politics and world events. Jared Kushner is currently serving as a senior adviser in the new administration of Donald Trump and seems to have an endless number of portfolios, from government innovation to criminal justice reform to the Middle East.

Kushner’s newfound prominence has not been without troubles. He and his wife, Ivanka Trump have faced persistent allegations about their foreign business ties and potential conflicts of interest. Reporters have dug into the aggressive tactics that have been taken against low income renters by Jared Kushner’s real estate company. In addition, Kushner remains caught in the Russia inquiry. Reports surfaced in June that Jared Kushner met with a Kremlin affiliated attorney who promised dirt on Hillary Clinton. Now it has also been revealed that Kushner has used his private email accounts for his official government related business, an indiscretion for which he and the Trump campaign wanted to indict Clinton.

And Kushner hasn’t even been popular in the president’s own camp. The far right press has attacked Jared, with outlets like Breitbart claiming he leads a “globalist” faction within the White House.

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)

It’s a dramatic change for Jared Kushner, the real estate scion, who grew up in a New Jersey Modern Jewish Orthodox family. Going to Harvard and then into his father’s real estate business, Kushner was once relegated to the narrow, privileged world of New York City commerce.

These days, Jared Kushner is facing even greater challenges. His father in law, President Trump, is expecting Kushner to make peace between Israelis and Palestinians. A tall task for anyone.

Whether you love or hate him, Jared Kushner might just be the most important Jewish person in America in 2017.

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