Ivanka Trump: the president’s moral compass or just another mouthpiece?

She holds no formal title in the White House but in just 50 days has become one of the most prominent public faces of the Trump administration.

Ivanka Trump has been assigned many unofficial roles while walking the halls of the West Wing. She has been called the de facto first lady and a calming influence against the more bombastic traits of her father. Officials in the White House hail her as the potential force behind policies to address women in the workplace.

Ivanka is no stranger to the spotlight, having evolved over the years from teenage model to Manhattan socialite and entrepreneur. But as she navigates the transition to holding a seat at the most powerful table in America, the elder daughter of Donald Trump is cultivating a reputation as a potential moral compass, creating at least the perception that she might be able to rein in some of the more extreme policies of the administration.

The question, observers suggest, is whether Ivanka can forge a path that ultimately proves impactful in shaping policy – or if she is relegated to window dressing her father’s hardline approach with a softer veneer.

“She’s the only person that I believe Donald Trump consistently listens to,” said Liz Mair, a Republican strategist. “I don’t think that there’s anybody in the world who substitutes for his daughter and her husband as a sort of proxy.”

The emerging dominance of Ivanka and husband Jared Kushner, who was appointed a senior adviser to the president, was evident before the new administration was even formed.