Many life-long Democrats don’t recognize their party anymore.
They’ve watched in astonishment as prominent Democratic leaders have spent the past several years embracing socialism and turning against American allies, like Israel.
Now, the Democrats have lost another well-known … if surprising … member.
First Daughter Ivanka Trump announced that she has officially ditched the Democratic Party and is registered as a Republican. She confirmed to the New York Times that she had changed her registration to Republican during the fall of 2018, to vote in midterm elections, the same elections that saw then-freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. elected to Congress.
Trump was a life-long Democrat who actually donated to Democratic campaigns, even though she described herself as more of an independent. She was seen as bringing a slightly left-of-center perspective to the administration of her father, President Donald Trump.
But Ivanka Trump, like so many others, is officially finished with the Democratic Party.
“I am a proud Trump Republican,” she told the Times. “I believe he’s broadened the reach of the Republican Party, which is really important to me.”
And Ivanka Trump wasn’t alone in defecting to the Republican Party. Her husband, presidential adviser Jared Kushner, also switched his party registration to Republican.
“I was not a Republican,” he said. “Now I’m a Republican. I think the Republican Party is growing now that people like me feel comfortable being part of it.”
While it’s certainly positive that President Trump is winning over his own family members, he actually has a strong history of reaching out to traditional Democrats.
Trump owes his 2016 presidential election victory to the fact that he was able to “flip” several traditionally Democratic districts in swing states. That will be an important part of Trump’s strategy as he seeks reelection this year.
The Horn editorial team