Will Jared Kushner participate in the Second Trump Administration?

January 18, 2026

Will Jared Kushner get involved in the Second Trump Administration?

Apparently not. It seems that Jared Kushner (JK) will stay away from any formal role in the Trump White House. JK will continue managing his private equity firm, Affinity Partners, looking for ways to become a self-made billionaire. 

Below a few lines about JK, an interesting American businessman and surely an influential billionaire in the decades to come. 

Jared Kushner (JK) is an American businessman born on January 10, 1981, in Livingston, New Jersey. JK is married to Ivanka Trump and is thus the son in law of President Trump. JK is a real estate developer, media entrepreneur, former political advisor, former government official, and private equity investment manager. JK lives in Miami with his wife Ivanka Trump and their three children: Arabella, Joseph, and Theodore.

JCK was born to Seryl and Charles Kushner, and raised in a Modern Orthodox Jewish manner. The Kushners owned the Kushners companies, dedicated to real estate development in the New York metropolitan area. JCK attended the Frisch School, a private yeshiva high school in Paramus, New Jersey, graduating in 1999. JCK went to Harvard University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in government in 2003. Subsequently, JCK obtained dual Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees from New York University (NYU) in 2007.

The Kushner Companies

Kushner Companies is a real estate development and investment firm founded in 1985 by JK's father, Charles Kushner. The company is headquartered in New York City and has built a substantial portfolio of residential, commercial, and retail properties, primarily in the U.S. northeast.

Kushner Companies began as a small real estate development business focused on residential properties in New Jersey. In the 1990s, Charles Kushner expanded the firm, acquiring thousands of rental apartments and commercial spaces. Charles Kushner was recognized for his aggressive acquisitions and management style, making him a prominent figure in the real estate world.

In the early 2000s, federal investigators began investigating Charles Kushner on allegations of illegal political campaign contributions. The investigation was led by prominent Republican leader, and former governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, who was then the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. Charles Kushner was suspected of making political donations to Democratic candidates in excess of legal limits by using surrogates (straw donors). This practice violated federal laws that set strict limits on how much can be donated to political candidates and that require transparency in reporting donations. 

Charles Kushner's brother-in-law, William Schulder, and other family members played a significant role in initiating the investigation by providing information to authorities. There were financial disputes and personal feuds within the Kushner family that led to some family members prompting federal investigators about legal violations. 

• In 2003, as part of the investigation into the allegations, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) found evidence that Charles Kushner was underreporting income and improperly claiming tax deductions to reduce his tax liabilities. 
• In 2004, the investigation expanded when evidence emerged of witness tampering by Charles Kushner. In a notorious incident, he hired a prostitute to seduce Schulder, filmed the encounter, and sent the video to his sister (Schulder’s wife). This act of retaliation added a charge of witness tampering to the case, further complicating Kushner’s legal situation. In June 2004, Charles Kushner was formally charged with illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering. 
• In 2005, Kushner pleaded guilty to all charges. Under a plea deal, Kushner was sentenced to two years in federal prison, and served 14 months at the Federal Correctional Institution in Montgomery, Alabama. before being sent to a halfway house in Newark, New Jersey, to complete his sentence. He was released from prison on August 25, 2006. The case remains one of the most high-profile examples of political corruption and retaliatory misconduct in New Jersey's history.

JK's Corporate Ladder Climb 

In 2005, after his father's federal conviction, JK took over as CEO of the Kushner Companies at the age of 24. The company shifted its focus to high-profile real estate projects, particularly in New York City. One of the most notable acquisitions was the purchase of 666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan for $1.8 billion in 2007, a record-breaking deal at the time. 

In 2006, at the age of 25, JK also purchased The New York Observer, a weekly newspaper, for $10 million. As publisher, JKC transitioned the paper to a digital model, aiming to increase its online presence and readership. JKC later acquired other media outlets, merging all of them into observer.com. 

As for Kushner Companies, the 666 Fifth Avenue landmark property became a financial burden during the 2008 financial crisis. The company sold it and gradually shifted back to its origins as a landlord company owning and managing residential properties, mostly apartments. By now, the company owns about $7 billion in rental properties. 

In 2009, JKC married Ivanka Trump, daughter of Donald Trump. Ivanka converted to Judaism prior to their marriage, and the couple observes Modern Orthodox Jewish traditions. In 2016, JKC played a key role in Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, leveraging his business acumen to oversee the campaign's digital strategy and data operations. His efforts were instrumental in targeting MAGA voters and optimizing campaign outreach.

In 2017, Trump appointed JKC as a senior advisor. In this capacity, he managed a diverse portfolio, including:

• Middle East Peace Initiatives: JKC was a key architect of the administration's Middle East policy, contributing to the development of the Trump peace plan and facilitating the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations in 2020.
• Criminal Justice Reform: JKC advocated for and helped pass the First Step Act in 2018, aiming to reform the federal prison system and reduce recidivism.
• Office of American Innovation (OAI): Perhaps similar to what Elon Musk will do now during the Second Coming of Trump, JKC was the director of the OAI and sought to apply private-sector solutions to improve government efficiency and services.

JK's Affinity Partners 

After leaving the White House in January 2021, Jared founded a private equity firm called Affinity Partners. The firm secured significant investments from international entities, including approximately $2 billion from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, which raised flags about potential conflicts of interest.

As of January 2025, JKC has stepped back from official political roles, focusing on his business ventures and family life in Miami. His net worth is calculated at approximately $900 million. While not holding a formal position in Donald Trump's second administration, JKC can be expected to continue offering informal advice to his father in law, President Trump, especially on business and Middle Eastern affairs.

JKC's trajectory from a Harvard graduate to a Juris Doctor / MBA from NYU to real estate developer, media entrepreneur, family man, political campaign strategist, senior White House advisor, and private equity manager ficant political figure underscores his influence in American business, Jewish traditions, geopolitics, and the investing world. With a net worth shy of a billion dollars, there's plenty of room for JKC to grow and rise in the business world in the decades to come. 

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