First daughters’ club: Chelsea and Jenna rush to Malia’s rescue – while Ivanka stays silent

The offspring of former presidents share an uncommon bond that crosses political lines. So when the knives came out for Malia, most of them rallied round

Elle Hunt
Tue 19 Feb 2019 17.10 GMT Last modified on Tue 19 Feb 2019 18.05 GMT

Think “wild girls-only weekend” and a bottle of wine split between four people is hardly what comes to mind. But that’s what the Daily Mail is suggesting as former first daughter Malia Obama enjoys a Miami getaway with friends – publishing paparazzi shots (and a short video) of her on a poolside sun lounger, clutching a bottle of Whispering Angel rosé.

The coverage of a 20-year-old “drinking wine all day” – glugging a tipple that costs $80 (£60) on the resort’s wine list (£17.99 at Waitrose, Malia!) – has emboldened Trump supporters to condemn Obama’s bare-faced law-breaking as “privileged and #illegal”. “Living like the 1%? Drinking underage? Let’s see the #democrats and media scream about “privilege” here …” tweeted conservative talkshow host Andrew Wilkow ominously.

The “scandal” spurred into action that non-partisan force for good: the first daughters’ club. “Malia Obama is a private citizen,” tweeted Chelsea Clinton on Monday. “No part of her life should be anyone’s clickbait.” While admitting to hesitancy over whether “to add anything to such a nothing-story”, Jenna Bush Hager agreed: “Please don’t click on silly stories and let’s give Malia privacy.”

With the story presumably manufactured in part to stoke political divisions, it was a touching display of solidarity among a group of women with uncommon common experience. But one voice was missing – that of Ivanka Trump. In 2017, she came to the eldest Obama daughter’s defence after one website reported on a video posted to Instagram in which she was shown blowing smoke rings. “Malia Obama should be allowed the same privacy as her school-aged peers,” Trump tweeted. “She is a young adult and private citizen, and should be OFF limits.” This time, she has remained noticeably silent.

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