Ivanka Trump has decided that she won’t return to her eponymous fashion company and has instead decided to shut it down altogether.
While Trump had already stepped down from her presidential role in the company, the business was still operating with limitations as to not violate any ethical laws or make it seem like it was profiting from Trump’s station in the White House. In light of that, Trump decided that keeping the business afloat was no longer worth it, especially since she doesn’t plan to return, according to CNN.
In a statement released by Trump, she explained that after (a grueling) 17 months in Washington, she doesn’t anticipate returning to her company:
When we first started this brand, no one could have predicted the success that we would achieve. After 17 months in Washington, I do not know when or if I will ever return to the business, but I do know that my focus for the foreseeable future will be the work I am doing here in Washington, so making this decision now is the only fair outcome for my team and partners.
It’s a little hard for me to figure out whether or not I’m surprised by this news. While it’s true that there are some “ethical questions” surrounding the Trump brand, the Trumps never seemed to be the type to give up a business over “ethical questions.” If that were the case, we might’ve had a new president by now. On the other hand, speaking of ethics, the company has been marred by violations since the Trumps rolled into the Oval Office.
Even though Trump left her company, she still maintained ownership of the brand and was profiting off of it. If that wasn’t enough to raise a red flag, in 2017, The Wall Street Journal took a deep-dive look into Trump’s outfits across her social media platforms since snagging an office in the West Wing, and found that she was sporting her own brand in nearly 70 percent of the posts.
Doubling down, when President Trump announced a $50 billion dollars worth of tariffs on China, you know was exempt? I’ll tell you: clothing manufactured in China. Can you guess who manufactures their clothing in China? Correct! It’s Ivanka Trump’s fashion line.
So, it’s no surprise that she has faced some heat over having her hand in both pots. Could that be the reason she’s saying goodbye to her namesake brand? Or maybe it’s because of all the people and companies who decided to boycott the brand? Or maybe it’s the fact that, according to Market Watch, sales on Amazon, Bloomingdale’s, Zappos, and Macy’s had fallen nearly 45 percent in the 12 months leading up to June 2018?
Or maybe Trump really does care about her work in the White House …
… did that sound convincing?
(via CNN, image: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
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