Via a brief statement, Donald Trump has just been informed that a very close member of his extended family is not supporting his campaign and will not vote for him in the fall.
Josh Kushner is the younger brother of Ivanka Trump‘s husband, Jared Kushner, and is a well-known New York investor. He is the founder and managing partner of the investment firm Thrive Capital and co-founder of Oscar Insurance.
While the brothers are said to be close and have worked on several business ventures together, their political views do not seem to align.
While Mr. Trump’s son in law has been traveling with him on the campaign trail, advising him, and writing policy speeches, his brother is singing a different tune.
Josh Kushner, who says he is a “lifelong Democrat,” was asked for a statement for a lengthy piece on his brother in Esquire. Here is an extract from the magazine:
“And yet for all that Jared has helped Trump, there is a sense among Jared’s friends and business associates that he sees the gold-plated vision of a Trump White House as the ultimate step in a carefully plotted ascent to redemption, one that began when his father’s scandal tarnished the family name. In this respect, it seems more than usually significant that both Kushner brothers have photographs of John F. Kennedy prominently displayed in their offices. Just as Kennedy’s father was forced to yield his ambitions to his sons’ generation after uttering controversial remarks during World War II, so too did the scandal that sent Charles Kushner to prison open the door for his sons—and especially for Jared—to launch their charm offensive on society at a very early age.”
According to the magazine’s Vicky Ward:
“He said that he loved his brother and did not want to say anything that might embarrass him. Nevertheless, the spokesman also said that Josh is a lifelong Democrat and will not be voting for Donald Trump in November.”
Some experts are wondering if the statement was meant to send a message.
