The inauguration of Donald J. Trump is not just a restoration of power for the former president. It’s a return for his family, as well.
They left Washington four years ago, alienated from many of their former friends and acquaintances in New York City because of their work in the administration. They return to Washington with more political and cultural support — and a far better understanding of how to wield their soft power.
Of course, everyone is a little older. Barron Trump, who was in elementary school when Mr. Trump entered office in 2017, is now a college freshman at New York University. He towered behind Mr. Trump’s shoulder on Monday during the inauguration ceremony, seated next to his mother, Melania.
The incoming first lady was both visible and inscrutable, wearing a sharply tailored navy suit and a large boater hat that concealed her eyes. Mrs. Trump, who largely retreated from public view after leaving the White House, plans to join her husband in Washington, D.C., and participate in an Amazon documentary.
“This time, I have everything, I have the plans,” Mrs. Trump said in an interview on Fox News last week. “I already packed. I already selected the furniture that needs to go in. It’s a very different transition this time around.”
The family ties extend to Mr. Trump’s in-laws. Mr. Trump chose Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to France. He named Massad Boulos, whose son is married to Mr. Trump’s daughter Tiffany, as a Middle East adviser.
Not everyone is more visible than they were four years ago. As Mr. Trump was sworn in, his four children — Donald Jr., Eric, Ivanka and Tiffany — gathered around him to celebrate his victory.
Donald Jr., who has emerged as a key conduit to his father’s base, appears poised to continue his role as the keeper of Mr. Trump’s political flame. Earlier this month, he traveled to Greenland in what appeared to be an effort to support his father’s threat to buy the nation.
Eric will continue his role running the family business, as executive vice president of the Trump Organization. His wife, Lara, recently stepped down as co-chair of the Republican National Convention.
Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, were key advisers during Mr. Trump’s first term, with offices in the West Wing. This time, the couple plans to remain in their lavish Miami mansion, where they retreated after Mr. Trump lost in 2020. Politics, Ivanka Trump said in a recent podcast interview, is a “very dark, negative business.”
The couple won’t escape the spotlight entirely. Mr. Kushner now runs a $3 billion private equity fund financed by the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as well as by Terry Gou, the Taiwanese billionaire and founder of Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer. His ties are likely to prompt a steady stream of questions about whether the couple is getting special treatment from foreign governments, given their closeness to the president.
“Obviously the world is different for us over the next four years if her father is president,” Mr. Kushner said in October. “But, you know, either way, our life will just continue to move forward.”
