Ivanka Trump to meet with Al Gore to discuss ‘climate issues’

Ivanka Trump walks through the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City on Nov. 21. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

President-elect Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump is scheduled to meet Monday with Al Gore, the former Democratic vice president who has become a leading activist in the fight against global warming, to discuss “climate issues,” according to the president-elect's spokesman.

Donald Trump has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax” and has even accused the Chinese government of creating this fake problem to steal manufacturing jobs from the United States. But Trump seemed to soften that position during a meeting with the New York Times late last month, saying that he would keep an “open mind” on the issue and acknowledged that human activity might be connected to changes in the climate.

Ivanka Trump, who is not registered with a political party, is one of the most influential people in Trump's life, and has already pushed her father to adopt positions usually promoted by Democrats, including making child care more affordable to women. Although Ivanka Trump has said she does not plan to take an active role in her father's administration, she is a member of his transition team. Her husband, Jared Kushner, is one of Trump's most trusted aides. The couple is reportedly house-hunting in Washington.

Gore arrived at Trump Tower in New York late Monday morning and did not answer questions from reporters. Jason Miller, a spokesman for Trump, said on a morning briefing call with reporters that the president-elect does not plan to meet with Gore, and he did not provide any additional details about the meeting with Ivanka Trump. When asked if Trump and her father disagree on the issue of climate change, Miller said that he does not have any information to provide at this time.

While Gore was not personally close to Hillary Clinton — their relationship became strained in the wake of President Bill Clinton's impeachment and as they both vied for Democratic donors' support during their respective political bids in 2000 — the former vice president campaigned on her behalf late in this year's presidential campaign.

Speaking to an audience at Miami Dade College in October, Gore warned that Trump, “based on the ideas that he has presented, would take us toward a climate catastrophe.” Appealing directly to millennials, he alluded to his own narrow loss to George W. Bush in 2000 in Florida and said young people could not afford to vote for anyone other than Clinton.

“The world is on the cusp of either building on the progress and solving the climate crisis, or stepping back, washing our hands of America’s traditional role as the leader of the world and letting the big polluters call the shots,” Gore said. “The choice is that clear. It’s that stark.”

But while national environmental groups and many scientists have already fired shots across the bow at Donald Trump, suggesting he needs to respect scientific integrity and refrain from appointing advisers who would gut existing environmental and public health safeguards, some prominent activists have been exploring ways to influence the incoming administration. The most obvious target has been Ivanka Trump and her husband, since they are seen as the least conservative members of Trump's family.

Local Politics Alerts

Breaking news about local government in D.C., Md., Va.

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, for example, recently gave her a copy of his new National Geographic documentary on climate change, “Before the Flood.” DiCaprio aired the documentary in October on the White House's South Lawn, before which he appeared onstage with President Obama and atmospheric scientist Katharine Hayhoe.

DiCaprio, who campaigned on Clinton's behalf and aired the film on college campuses in Florida and elsewhere, did not mention Trump by name but alluded to him at the event.

“We must empower leaders who not only believe in climate change but are willing to do something about it,” he said. “The scientific consensus is in, and the argument is now over. If you do not believe in climate change, you do not believe in facts, or in science, or empirical truths, and therefore, in my humble opinion, should not be allowed to hold public office.”

WP

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner plan move to DC

CNN has learned has Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, are house hunting in Washington as they look to move from New York City to D.C.

The couple's planned move with their three children reflects the expectation that Kushner will serve as an adviser to President-elect Donald Trump in some capacity, though the precise role -- potentially complicated by nepotism laws -- remains to be seen.

"I think Jared Kushner, obviously [Trump's] son-in-law is going to be very involved in decision-making," White House chief of staff Reince Priebus said on NBC's "Today" show the week after the election.

Kushner was also present with Trump when he first visited the White House after his victory, and was seen walking through the White House grounds and talking with current White House chief of staff Denis McDonough.

Donald Trump's wife, Melania, and youngest son, Barron, plan to continue living at Trump Tower, at least until the school year ends in the spring.

Kushner played a significant behind-the-scenes role during the campaign, building up the Trump team's data operation and crafting its messaging, which he discussed in an interview with Forbes -- the only time Kushner has spoken publicly about Trump's victory since the win. He has also helped lead the Trump transition effort, and was reportedly at the center of a fierce internal conflict weeks ago that led to the ouster of Chris Christie and his allies, who had previously headed the transition.

Kushner also has significant business interests in New York City -- a real estate developer like his father-in-law, he owns a prized skyscraper on 666 Fifth Avenue which was acquired in a troublesome deal, and owns other valuable properties in the New Jersey and New York property markets.

Ivanka Trump, who likewise wields significant influence in the Trump world, was thought to be a contender for an advisory role in a potential administration during the campaign. She delivered a well-received speech on her father's behalf at the Republican National Convention in July, helped shepherd the campaign's rollout of a childcare tax credit policy, and was a fixture of the Trump campaign's tight-knit circle of advisors.

But the president-elect has signaled that he may look to put his adult children in charge of managing his sprawling business empire while he serves as president. Trump is planning a December 15 news conference to provide details about his plan for his businesses.

Still, such a plan -- which the Trump team has portrayed as a "blind trust" -- would do little to preclude conflicts of interest from arising, since Trump insists he will maintain close contact with his kids while they manage the family's international network of business interests, even as he steers US foreign policy. 

 

(CNN)