Donald Trump is claiming he advised Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner not to join his 2024 presidential campaign to spare them from the “horrendous sleazebags” in Washington DC.
Mr Trump announced his candidacy for president in November while facing swirling criminal investigations for unlawfully taking classified documents and over his efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Joe Biden.
Ms Trump, who along with her husband was a White House senior adviser during the Trump administration, said at the time she was remaining out of politics to focus on business interests and family.
According to a new report from Olivia Nuzzi in New York magazine, Mr Kushner has since refused requests to help his father-in-law as a series of controversies has plagued the nascent campaign.
Mr Kushner reportedly declined to defend the former president after his infamous dinner with antisemitic rapper Kanye West and neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago in November, according to New York.
In an apparent response to the New York magazine article, Mr Trump took to Truth Social on Monday to deny he had asked the power couple to join his campaign staff.
“Contrary to Fake News reporting, I never asked Jared or Ivanka to be part of the 2024 Campaign for President and, in fact, specifically asked them not to do it — too mean and nasty with the Fake & Corrupt News and having to deal with some absolutely horrendous SleazeBags in the world of politics, and beyond,” Mr Trump wrote in his inimitable style.
“There has never been anything like this ‘ride’ before, and they should not be further subjected to it. I ran twice, getting millions more Votes the second time (RIGGED), & am doing it again!”
Mr Trump spent much of the Christmas weekend raging against his political foes and a special counsel investigation into his alleged criminal wrongdoing.
He attacked Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell and his wife Elaine Chao, who is a frequent target for his racist tirades, over his support for a $1.7 trillion spending omnibus bill.
Ivanka has previously said she planned to support her father’s candidacy from “outside the political arena”.
