According to Mediaite, Mary Trump, a prominent critic of her uncle, former President Donald Trump, has expressed a firm belief that Ivanka Trump, her cousin and former First Daughter, will testify truthfully in the ongoing New York fraud trial and might potentially implicate her father in the process. Mary shared her insights on the trial proceedings during a discussion with Molly Jong-Fast, focusing on the complexities faced by the Trump family.
Emphasizing the significance of Ivanka’s testimony, Mary suggested that Ivanka’s approach would be to remain truthful, potentially risking her father’s wrath but prioritizing honesty over protecting his interests. Mary and Molly shared the view that Ivanka, in contrast to her brothers Don Jr. and Eric, may be more inclined to speak openly due to her own established wealth through her husband’s business dealings. They highlighted the complexity of the situation for Ivanka, balancing her father’s expectations with the legal requirements of truthfulness.
Molly likened Ivanka to the character Keyser Söze from the movie “The Usual Suspects,” suggesting that Ivanka might have the potential to become the pivotal figure in the trial. The conversation also delved into Ivanka’s financial independence, indicating that she has a distinct financial standing separate from the Trump family business ventures.
Despite acknowledging the possibility that Donald Trump might be willing to sacrifice his daughter’s interests, Mary also acknowledged the complexity of the situation for him, considering that Ivanka’s testimony would follow his own. The discussion thus underscored the potential role Ivanka could play in the trial and the intricacies involved in navigating her testimony within the family dynamics.
MARY: It would have to be somebody wanting to launder a lot of money. But, yes, it’s a business separate and apart from the property, and it’s very complicated and it’s really not worth a billion, trillion, gazillion dollars.
I think the adult children, and Donny is the least equipped to do this. They’re going to have to walk a very thin line between obfuscating in a way that’s not perjury and appeasing their father’s ego so that he doesn’t throw them under the bus when he testifies, which of course he’s going to do no matter what they do.MOLLY: Not Ivanka.
MARY: No. She’s just going to tell the truth and throw him under the bus.
MOLLY: Right. But I think Ivanka is sort of the Keyser Söze of this whole thing.
Don Jr. does whatever he can to protect his dad and make his dad love him. And Eric, same. But Ivanka, her husband manages $2 billion of Saudi money.MARY: She’s legitimately wealthy, unlike the rest.
MOLLY: Right. She’s legitimately wealthy through her husband’s business, which is built on her father’s connections. But still, she doesn’t have to sell hats to buy her jewelry. She has money. She’s not just selling the water and the old steaks. She doesn’t have to design plastic shoes. She’s moved on. You could see her just going up there saying whatever she wants to say, daddy protecting her, and ultimately her being the linchpin. I don’t think that’s what happens. But I do think she ends up being the most unscathed because why wouldn’t she be?
MARY: Right. I think Donald would throw her under the bus if he needed to because he doesn’t care about anybody, but I also do find it very interesting and harder or trickier for Donald that she’s now testifying after he does.
MOLLY: Yeah.
