Ivanka Trump said the word “chaos” perfectly describes her life as a businesswoman, mother of three children younger than 5 and the daughter of a presidential nominee.
“I wake up probably at 5 a.m. most mornings, and I try to get ready, get everything I need to do to start the day before the kids wake up at 6:30 or 7,” Trump, 34, said in an interview that aired today on “Good Morning America."
“We have breakfast together as a family, which is something that I very much treasure, then it’s off to school, then to the races in the office," she said. “Then I come home in the evenings, which is a huge priority for me to be there for dinner and bedtime. Because I’m leaving early to be there for that time during the course of the day, I’m working to one, two o’clock in the morning after they go to sleep.”
Chelsea and Ivanka: Friends and Daughters of Political Rivals Ivanka Trump Accuses Hillary Clinton of Long-Standing Inaction on Family LeaveTrump, who oversees a lifestyle brand, a website and executive roles in father Donald Trump’s businesses, is sharing stories of women like her who are "modern multi-dimension woman" in today’s fall 2016 launch of her #WomenWhoWork initiative.
Now in its third year, the Women Who Work initiative is described by Trump as aiming to, “celebrate this modern workforce which is so multi-dimensional and comprised of so many different women with different aspirations.”
“[Our newest campaign] is really showcasing and celebrating not only the women but also their support system because there’s no way to go through this journey alone,” Trump said. “It’s sometimes easy for women who are working hard at all aspects of their life to go through things without showing a level of vulnerability because you have to keep moving forward and you’re always in motion.”
Trump made headlines earlier this month when she stood next to her father at a campaign rally as he formally rolled out his child care and maternity plan, which includes allowing working parents to deduct child care expenses from their income taxes, creating dependent care savings accounts and ensuring six weeks of paid maternity leave.
Trump claimed in a Sept. 14 interview on "GMA" that employees of her own company and her father's real estate development company receive eight weeks paid maternity and adoption leave. The Trump Organization later told ABC News that not all of its employees are eligible to receive eight weeks of paid parental leave and declined to elaborate on which employees are eligible.
“The Trump Organization is proud of the family friendly environment it fosters throughout its portfolio. The Trump Organization, along with the lifestyle brand, Ivanka Trump, a company separate from the Trump Organization, wholly owned by Ivanka Trump, both offer an industry leading eight-week paid parental leave policy,” Deirdre Rosen, the senior vice president of human resources for the Trump Organization, said in a statement to ABC News. “The policies and practices allowing employees to enjoy a healthy work-life balance vary from property to property. We take an individualized approach to helping employees manage family and work responsibilities.”
When it comes to her own support system, Trump, the mother of a 5-year-old daughter and two sons, ages 2 and 5 months, singled out her husband, real estate investor Jared Kushner, as her “greatest champion” and “biggest advocate.”
She said Kushner, 35, is also the person who reminds her that “life’s a marathon, not a sprint” when she faces what she calls the “elusive” question of balance.
“It implies a scale and, inevitably, is going to tip in one direction or another. It’s just a matter of time,” Trump said of the idea of balancing motherhood and work. “Instead, I try to think about my life through the vantage point of my priorities. So is the life that I’m living consistent with what I prioritize? And am I in the places I need to be, in the times I need to be there? And we all do our best.”
Trump is highlighted in the fall launch of Women Who Work alongside three other women who "beautifully highlight the modern woman," according to Trump.
The women include a former stay-at-home mom of three who is going back to work part-time, a high school teacher who implemented a program that has seen the rate of graduates attending college skyrocket and Cheryl Han, the CEO of Keaton Row, an online personal styling service.
"What motivates me is a sense of purpose, just this idea what I’m doing every day is what I’m meant to be doing," Han, whose parents are first-generation Korean immigrants, said in a Women Who Work video. "When I think about my legacy, I think about the children that I’m going to raise, and put out into this world and I hope I leave a legacy of children who know who they are and brave enough to pave their own path."
Trump said she felt it was important to highlight women from all walks of life and all stages of their careers in Women Who Work.
“The focal point of this initiative is really celebrating the fact that work looks different to each of us and we’re all working very hard to create a life that’s meaningful and ultimately one we want to live, whether it’s a young entrepreneur or a stay at home mom," she said.