Why Ivanka and Eric Trump Won’t Get To Vote for Donald in New York Primary

Image by Getty Images

By Maia Efrem April 12, 2016

Well, this is embarrassing.

On Monday morning’s episode of Fox & Friends, GOP frontrunner Donald Trump had to explain why two of his five children, Ivanka and Eric Trump, will not be voting in the Republican New York primary on April 19: in time.

“They had a long time register and they were, you know, unaware of the rules and they didn’t — they didn’t register in time. So. they feel very. very guilty. They feel very guilty,” Trump said in a phone interview on the show, adding “But it’s fine. I mean, I understand that. I think they have to register a year in advance and they didn’t, so Eric and Ivanka, I guess, won’t be voting.”

“They feel very, very guilty.” @realDonaldTrump on Ivanka & Eric not registering in time to vote in the NY primaryhttps://t.co/UfQ5ZXVRqL

— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) April 11, 2016

This development is more than a little awkward for Trump, as his much-liked daughter’s presence during the campaign trail has added a certain legitimacy to his campaign. Trump has often brought up Jared Kushner, his Jewish son-in-law, grandchildren and Ivanka Trump’s Jewishness to appeal to potential Jewish voters.

Image by gettyimages

According to Yahoo News, not only are the two not registered as Republicans, but Ivanka and Eric Trump have both donated to Democratic candidates in the past. Campaign finance records show that Eric Trump gave $1,000 to Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer in 2010, and his sister has also made contributions to Democrats Schumer, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Donald Norcross.

Maia Efrem is the former research editor and assistant to the editor and was also responsible for the Forward’s annual Salary Survey. Previously she served as the editor of Blognik Beat, a blog written by students who emigrated from or have ties to the Former Soviet Union. Maia is a graduate of Hunter College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.

This year, we have stood together in strength and sorrow. Our Forward team has worked around the clock to help you find clarity amid the chaos.

If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.

Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO