- Ivanka Trump asked her father to make peace with Pence after the Capitol riots, WashPo reports.
- Although previous reports of his first post-riot meeting are going well, sources say it was “artificial”.
- Jared Kushner, who helped organize the meeting, reportedly likened it to his efforts to negotiate peace in the Middle East.
- Visit the Insider Business section for more stories.
Ivanka Trump reportedly asked her father, former President Donald Trump, to make peace with former Vice President Mike Pence after the deadly riots on Capitol Hill, sources familiar with the matter told the Washington Post.
A growing divide emerged between the two leaders after Trump publicly denounced Pence and encouraged a crowd of his supporters to invade the Capitol and prevent the vice president from checking the election results.
Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who had been appointed senior adviser to the White House by her father, sought to reconcile the two men and acted as an intermediary, encouraging her father to contact Pence, said two people familiar with the plan.
Five days after the January 6 uprising, it was reported that Trump met with the vice president in the Oval Office for the first time to discuss what had happened.
At the time, reports described the 90-minute meeting as “friendly” and stated that Pence wanted to focus on what he and Trump saw as government victories.
But, according to several people familiar with the meeting, the conversation was actually much more “affected” and “uncomfortable”, the Post reported.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who reportedly also helped organize the meeting, later jokingly compared it to his efforts to negotiate peace in the Middle East, said a person familiar with his comments to the Post.
Read More: How Trump’s Senate trial could end with a vote to ban him from taking federal office again and end any chance of a run in 2024
The report came after the Senate impeachment trial this week, presented new evidence that showed Trump was more aware of the danger posed to Pence during the Capitol riots than was previously known.
It was also revealed that Trump never called Pence to make sure he was okay after the attack. Mark Short, Pence’s chief of staff, who called Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, told them they were fine.
During the trial on Wednesday, Democrats also showed the video of Pence being rushed to safety after protesters broke into the Capitol building. In the video, a military adviser, seen after Pence, is carrying a “nuclear soccer ball”.
The relationship between Trump and Pence is unlikely to be fully healed, a source close to Pence told the Post. The two have spoken only once since President Joe Biden took office, the source added.
Although the former vice president is said to have been “frustrated” by what Trump did, he plans to remain loyal and not speak publicly about his relationship. According to this source, Pence also does not share the same anger as many former Trump advisers.
Pence plans to stay out of the spotlight for a few months, probably respecting the unofficial practice of giving a new administration some time and space.
Trump is currently facing an impeachment trial in the Senate on an “incitement to insurrection” charge for his role in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Both the impeachment and defense teams have completed their arguments and senators can vote on Saturday.