With less than two days to go until Donald Trump's presidency comes to an end, sources close to his eldest daughter and advisor, Ivanka, have claimed the strained relationship between her and First Lady Melania Trump has become increasingly bitter as the family prepares to vacate the White House.
Tensions between the First Lady, 50, and her stepdaughter, 39, appear to have become more acrimonious amid the fallout of the ongoing political turmoil surrounding Trump's presidency, a source told CNN, with both women having little desire to be in the same room as the other.
In a report by CNN's White House correspondent, Kate Bennett, an insider with knowledge of the situation claimed there has been "finger-pointing" regarding the President's controversial and widely panned behaviour over the last two weeks, beginning with an incendiary rally on January 6 galvanising supporters to storm the Capitol - actions that led to Trump's second impeachment on a charge of inciting an insurrection.
Reports of the women's feud gained traction last year following the publication of a tell-all book by the First Lady's former friend and senior advisor, Stephanie Wolkoff. The memoir, Melania and Me, detailed the bitter rivalry between stepmother and stepdaughter, including claims that aides actively ensured the two were kept separated.
Bennett noted last week that Ivanka and Melania have not been publicly photographed together in recent months, aside from September's presidential debate and the Republican National Convention in August. She also pointed out the family's division at Thanksgiving and Christmas, with Ivanka and her husband of 11 years, Jared Kushner - also a senior advisor to the President - noticeably absent from Trump's luxury Palm Beach resort, Mar-a-Lago. A source claimed that the First Lady "hasn't exactly rolled out the welcome mat" to the couple.
In recent months, Ivanka and Kushner, 40, have spent their dwindling time in the White House attempting to "keep the President from saying too little or too much", according to Bennett.
Reports citing insider sources allege that Ivanka is fearful her father's plummeting popularity could impact her own political ambitions, with claims that Trump quashed his daughter's plan to attend President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20 in an attempt to bolster her reputation.
The insider, cited by the Daily Mail last week, alleged that Ivanka is concerned her career is "in jeopardy" and is now attempting to rally supporters in a bid to protect her future endeavours. However, another White House source denied that Ivanka had planned to attend Biden's inauguration ceremony.
A source who spoke to CNN's Bennett appeared to corroborate the reports, claiming that Ivanka and Kushner are "trying to keep what little is left for them in terms of sellable currency as Trumps".
