Set aside the politics of last weekend’s inaugural celebrations, don’t think about the crowd size, the message, the protests, and the pomp … what’s left? A lot of Trumps. Big ones, little ones, baby ones, toddling ones — it was a second- and third-generation presidential family on rare display the likes of which hasn’t been seen in such numbers since, yes, the Camelot of the John F. Kennedy era.
It’s been Ivanka Trump leading the peek inside the life of her family, with never-before-seen moments of unguarded play, dress-up, and White House exploration. She has almost six million followers — 2.7 via Instagram, 3.01 via Twitter. With the advent of a social media-savvy first daughter, the opportunity for the public to be voyeurs into the personal moments of the younger generation of Trumps is more available than ever before.
Here’s Ivanka’s youngest son, Theodore, taking his first crawl, ever. It just happened to be across the floor of the White House State Dining Room:
As of Thursday afternoon, the post had more than 850,000 views on her Instagram account.
Ivanka is happy to show off her kids, like she did in their pajamas at Blair House over Inauguration Weekend:
Or on their way to the parade, with specially booster-seated limousines for her two older kids, five-year-old Arabella and three-year-old Joseph. Note the kids’ electronic devices:
A fashion devotee, Ivanka also showed off the Oscar De La Renta gown she wore to Thursday night’s candlelight dinner at Union Station on Inauguration Eve:
With more than 1.3 million views, Ivanka’s top Instagram video from the weekend was the one where her half-brother, Barron, 10, entertains little Theodore. Peek-a-boo, always a fave.
Ivanka, however, isn’t the only Trump child to showcase private moments; Donald Trump, Jr., with his 726,000 Instagram followers, has had his share of posts. Here’s one of his five children enjoying breakfast at the White House:
Lara Trump, Eric Trump’s wife, posted one from the weekend at the White House, as well.
Even Tiffany Trump has gotten in on the posting action, wearing American flag shoes and posing with half-brother Eric on the balcony outside the White House solarium:
And while it’s fun to catch these mini-episodes of “keeping up with the Trumps,” the branding of the Trump clan is likely the paramount strategy here. The sharing of private and personal elements of the president’s life are a helpful, humanizing factor for him, and Ivanka’s throwing open the doors, while “aww”-inducing, could also be some carefully-crafted storytelling.
