Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner got to soak up some much-needed time with their children on Thursday, as they enjoyed a quick break from their manic day-to-day lives as White House senior advisors in order to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
Taking full advantage both of their day off, and of the balmy October day, Ivanka, 35, and Jared, 36, strolled their way to the nearby Friends of Lubavitch Synagogue from their home in the upmarket D.C. neighborhood of Kalorama, while their three kids all happily scooted alongside them.
Mother-of-three Ivanka looked incredibly chic in a long-sleeved black lace dress, paying mind to the religion’s strict dress codes and covering her arms and her knees in the demure number, while also adding a green velvet hat to the ensemble in order to cover her hair.
Off they go! Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were seen taking their children to their local synagogue on Thursday to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot
While Ivanka, 35, and Jared, 36, walked their way to the Friends of Lubavitch Synagogue, their children were all pictured making their way their on scooters
Mother-of-three Ivanka looked very chic in a lacy black dress, giving a nod to fashion while also observing the religion’s strict dress codes by covering her arms and legs in the frock, as well as her head with the addition of a green velvet hat
Confident: Despite being much younger than his two siblings, Teddy seemed more than happy to keep up with his big brother Joseph as they made their way out of the family home
The dress was cinched in at the waist with a wide velvet belt, helping to accentuate the first daughter’s slim frame.
She then finished off her look with some low black patent heels – a far cry from the sky-high stilettos we are used to seeing her model. She also carried a pair of dark sunglasses in her hand, which she later put on, no doubt to help deal with the bright glare of the sunshine.
Jared, meanwhile, stuck with his signature navy suit for the outing, pairing the smart outfit with a red-orange tie, and a pair of sunglasses to shield eyes against the bright D.C. day.
He was also seen carrying a lulav in one hand – a closed frond of the date palm tree which is one of the four species used in Sukkot celebrations, along with myrtle, willow, and citron.
The couple’s children also looked smart in their holiday outfits, with Arabella, six, wearing a bright red skirt, navy blue sweater, and coordinating white blouse, while both of her brothers, Joseph, three, and Theodore, one, had on collared polo shirts and dapper knitwear.
Hold up! At one point, Ivanka was seen running in her high heels in order to catch up with Teddy, who had perhaps started going a little too fast for his own good
Something funny? While Jared strolled along behind them with a smile on his face, Ivanka was seen running up beside her youngest son and putting a protective hand on his shoulder, apparently to calm him down
From then on the youngest Trump-Kushner child seemed to get slightly more hands-on attention from his mother
Happy as can be: Ivanka seemed relaxed and carefree as the family made their way to the synagogue, and flashed several smiles in the direction of the photographers
The family was escorted by a crew of vigilant Secret Service agents, who secured the area as the family walked along
The love is alive! Ivanka and Jared held hands for a few quick moments, before letting one another go again – perhaps in order to take care of one of their children
The couple did get a few minutes of time to themselves however, as their children scooting along ahead, while they fell into step just behind them
Tired: Teddy hopped off his scooter at one point and clung onto his father’s hand instead, allowing Jared to tote the toy, along with the Sukkot lulav
Forging ahead: Arabella and Joseph, meanwhile, seemed happy to continue on their way, scooting out past their brother
All three kids were also carefully dressed in protective helmets, to ensure no mishaps occurred while they scooted their way to the synagogue.
The addition of a helmet didn’t seem to assuage all of Ivanka’s nerves however, and she was at one point seeing running down the sidewalk in order to catch up with baby Teddy and slow him down, placing a protective hand on his should after eventually catching up to him.
And shortly after the high-speed chase, Teddy had clearly had his fill of the adventurous life, opting to dismount his scooter and walk the rest of the way, passing over the toy to his dad to carry, while he walked down the street holding first his father’s, and then his mother’s hand.
Even that became too tiring after a while, however, and both Ivanka and Jared were later seen taking it in turns carrying their youngest child the rest of the way, with Jared happily carrying his son’s scooter along with his lulav.
Teddy wasn’t the only one to get a bid fed up with the fun of scooting; his older brother Joseph soon followed suit, although it appears he managed to walk most of the way by himself, without relying on a helping hand from his mother or his father – although Ivanka was seen carrying around his abandoned scooter.
Easy does it: The youngster appeared to be double checking where he was stepping, perhaps eager to ensure he didn’t fall down and mess up his adorable teal outfit
Up you go! Even walking proved too tiring for Teddy later on in the journey, and he was pictured being carried both by his mother and his father at various points through the trip
And another one! Following in his brother’s footsteps, Joseph also jumped off his scooter and handed the toy to his mother, but seemed less concerned with holding on to one of his parents’ hands
The family was seen arriving as a group at the synagogue, and Jared helped his children to put away their scooters as they made their way inside
Eldest sibling Arabella seemed more than happy to keep wheeling herself along, however, happily speeding out in front of her family – but all while under the watchful eye of their attentive Secret Service agents, who accompanied them on the entire journey.
The family was then seen arriving as a group at the synagogue, and Jared helped his children to put away their scooters as they made their way inside – however he did not appear alongside his wife and kids when they left at the end of the celebration, and she was seen accompanying their children back to the house by herself, once again accompanied by the Secret Service.
The outing was no doubt a welcome opportunity for Ivanka to soak up some time with her children, and comes just after the mother-of-three opened up about her ongoing struggle to balance her White House role with motherhood.
Speaking about how she juggles motherhood with ‘such a demanding job’, Ivanka admitted that she finds creating and maintaining that balance ‘incredibly difficult’, noting that ‘some days I do a really good job’ while ‘other days, I don’t’.
‘It was much easier when I was my own boss, where I could set my own schedule, but working in the White House doesn’t lend itself to that because of the gravity of the issues that you’re dealing with,’ she confessed.
Where’s dad? Jared did not appear alongside his wife and kids when they left the synagogue at the end of the celebration
Ivanka walked all three children home by herself, while the Secret Service agents kept a close watch
Go faster! Both Arabella and Joseph seemed thrilled to get the opportunity to put their scooting skills to use
What’s up? At one point, Arabella turned around to speak to her mother, who put a reassuring hand on a rather tired-looking Teddy’s head
Helping hand: The former businesswoman was by her son’s side to encourage him throughout the journey home
You can do it! She even gave him an enthusiastic push off, however he seemed a little too tired to take full advantage
‘When you wake up in the middle of the night worrying about something – the things you’re worrying about just have so much more consequence.’
As well as missing out on the freedom of running her own business, Ivanka also admitted that she has struggled with the loss of her role as an entrepreneur, noting that it was something she ‘loved’ doing, however she insists that what she is doing now is ‘more important’.
But that demanding job has seen her miss out on more than just the day-to-day running of her eponymous fashion label, it’s also forced her to sacrifice other more personal things, like spending time with her siblings, and going for sessions at the gym.
‘I go for runs on Saturdays but I work out very infrequently,’ Ivanka, who was a regular visitor to the gym in her New York building, explained. But, she said, the opportunity to work so closely with her father makes it all worthwhile.
As well as lamenting the many sacrifices involved in her family’s move to Washington, Ivanka also took the opportunity to pay tribute to Jared, praising him for coping with a hectic working life while also finding time to fulfill his duties as a parent.
Which way? A Secret Service agent, who was dressed in khaki pants, and a striped Under Armour polo shirt, followed closely behind the family the entire way home
This way Theo! While the rest of his family went in one direction, young Teddy seemed particularly interested in something over to the other side of the street
Delighted: Ivanka looked overjoyed to be spending so much time with her beloved children
Take a load off: Shortly before leaving the synagogue, the kids were seen enjoying a quick scooting break, with Arabella actually propping herself up, before going on her way once again
‘My husband has incredibly long hours,’ she explained, before adding: ‘We wake up around 5am to get as much done as we can before the kids wake around 7am. We eat breakfast as a family every morning. Jared, albeit, is taking his toast and running out the door.’
However the tough working hours don’t appear to have put a damper on the couple’s relationship.
‘[Jared] is my best friend. He’s the kindest, smartest, most thoughtful person I know,’ Ivanka gushed. ‘When I’m down he always knows it and he’s going to reinforce me.’
Ivanka also revealed in the interview that she and her husband spent their first weekend staying at the White House, where they were given the Lincoln Bedroom, one of best known guest suites in the presidential property.
It is the first time that Ivanka has spoken out about the couple’s stay in the room – which was first created under the Truman administration, and is usually reserved for visiting political heavyweights.
Family first: Mother-of-three Ivanka, pictured with her family in August, admitted recently that she has found it ‘incredibly difficult’ to balance her White House role with motherhood
Balance: Ivanka noted that Jared has to work ‘incredibly long hours’ and as such she tries to ensure she is at home as much as possible to look after their children
Sacrifices: The 35-year-old confessed that she has missed being able to make regular trips to the gym, but said she enjoys her Saturday morning runs through her D.C. neighborhood
Event: The First Daughter said that, while she misses being an entrepreneur and having the freedom of running her own business, she feels what she does now is ‘more important’
‘When we first arrived in Washington, we spent the weekend at the White House,’ Ivanka explained during an interview with US Weekly, before adding that she and her husband were given the suite over her other siblings.
‘Jared and I stayed in the Lincoln Bedroom and my siblings all stayed over as well,’ she noted. ‘All of the kids were running through the halls – they had an amazing time.’
Ivanka and Jared both came under fire last week along with his wife for using private email addresses to conduct official business.
Jared is among six White House officials who discussed White House matters using private email addresses, along with Steve Bannon and Reince Priebus, the New York Times reported citing ‘current and former’ officials.
As for Ivanka, she used a private account to communicate with a government official while working as an unofficial adviser in the early days of her father’s administration, Newsweek wrote.
Last week, their accounts were re-routed from a server hosted by Microsoft to two housed at the Trump Organization after coming under public scrutiny,USA Today reported yesterday.