Jared Kushner says he wouldn’t take a role in a hypothetical second Trump administration, explaining that he’s enjoyed being out of the glare of constant public scrutiny and that he wishes to remain committed to his investment business.
The former president’s son-in-law, who previously served as one of Trump’s top advisers in the White House, says he plans to focus on work with his private equity firm, Affinity Partners—the company which received a $2 billion investment from the sovereign wealth fund controlled by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
During an appearance at the Axios BDF conference in Miami on Tuesday, Kushner was asked what he would say if Trump wins in November and asks him to return to Washington, D.C. Noting that “nothing in my life has gone according to the plans I’ve set,” Kushner said: “I’ve been very clear that my desire at this phase in my life is to focus on my firm.”
“I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity as a family to be out of the spotlight,” he continued. He also pointed out that his wife, Ivanka Trump, had also worked in the White House, which he called a “twenty-four-seven, high-stakes job.” “We’ve both really enjoyed the opportunity to be down here in Florida with the kids,” he said. “Right now that’s really where my commitment is, is to my investors, to my firm, to my employees, to my partners, and that’s what I’m planning to do.”
Pressed if that meant he was definitely planning to reject any potential overtures to return to politics, Kushner said: “Yes.” He went on to say that Trump’s 2024 bid for the White House is a “very professionally run campaign” in contrast to 2016, which “really was a family campaign.”
Kushner also dismissed concerns about a potential conflict of interest in the Saudi investment in his company and defended the crown prince when asked about the 2018 death of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. “Are we really still doing this?” Kushner initially said when asked if he agreed with a U.S. intelligence report claiming MBS likely ordered Khashoggi’s killing.
He added that he hadn’t read the report. “I know the person who I dealt with,” Kushner said of the crown prince. “I think he’s a visionary leader. I think what he’s done in that region is transformational.”
