Ivanka Trump seen alongside dad Donald for first time in months at CFP game in Miami

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: Ivanka Trump made a rare public appearance with President Donald Trump on Monday, January 19, stepping back into view at a high-profile sporting event after months away from the spotlight.

The president’s eldest daughter joined Trump at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens for the College Football Playoff National Championship between the Miami Hurricanes and the Indiana Hoosiers.

A surprise Trump family appearance at game

Photos and videos from the venue showed Ivanka standing close to her father alongside her husband, Jared Kushner, and several members of the Trump family, marking her first prominent appearance with the president since last fall.

Unlike her high-profile role as a senior adviser during Trump’s first term, Ivanka has been mostly absent since her father returned to the White House.

She has repeatedly said she has no desire to reenter the political arena, citing the toll of partisan life.

Speaking on the 'Him & Her' podcast ahead of Trump’s second inauguration, Ivanka explained, “I love policy and impact. I hate politics,” adding that “there is a darkness to that world that I don’t really want to welcome into mine.”

At the game, Ivanka was seen wearing a belted black dress with an asymmetrical neckline and dark sunglasses.

Trump was surrounded by several of his grandchildren, including Donald Trump Jr’s daughter Kai Trump, Eric Trump’s children Luke and Carolina, and Ivanka’s son Theo.

 Ivanka and Kushner are also parents to Arabella and Joseph, who were not present.

Ivanka and Donald Trump were last seen together in public in Israel

Before Monday night, Ivanka was last seen publicly with the president in October, when she traveled with US officials to Israel during efforts surrounding the release of remaining hostages in Gaza.

Addressing a rally at the time, Ivanka told attendees, “The president wanted me to share that he sees you, he hears you, he stands with you always, always,” later calling the moment a “triumph of faith, of courage, and of our shared humanity.”

Though she has avoided formal political roles, Ivanka has continued to publicly support her father’s leadership. 

In an Instagram post following the hostage releases, she thanked Trump for what she described as his “unbending leadership,” also crediting Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff for their involvement in the negotiations.

Behind the scenes, Ivanka Trump remains involved

While largely out of public view, Ivanka has reportedly been working behind the scenes on select projects for her father.

Among them is planning the first-ever UFC event scheduled to take place on the White House South Lawn in June, which coincides with Trump’s 80th birthday.

President Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump participate in the 'White House Summit on Human Trafficking: The 20th Anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000' event in the East Room of the White House on January 31, 2020, in Washington, DC (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

Speaking to CBS News, UFC CEO Dana White recalled that when Trump approached him about the idea, he made it clear he wanted Ivanka closely involved. 

White said Ivanka later contacted him directly, and the two discussed potential locations and concepts, with White eventually preparing the visual renderings.