Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump attend the 9th Annual Eric Trump Foundation Golf Invitational Auction & Dinner at Trump National Golf Club Westchester on September 21, 2015 in Briarcliff Manor, New York. (Getty)
Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump’s husband, has been a familiar face on the campaign trail with Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump.
The 35-year-old real estate developer and newspaper publisher has stood by his father-in-law as he makes his bid for the White House.
Here’s what you need to know about Kushner:
1. Kushner Married Ivanka Trump in 2009 After Dating for 2 Years
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at their wedding at Trump National Golf Club on October 25, 2009 in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Brian Marcus/Fred Marcus Photography)
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump were married in October 2009 during a ceremony at the Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey, according to the New York Times.
They met in 2007, when they were both 25, and dated for two years before their wedding. Ivanka Trump converted to Judaism before they were married.
“We met through mutual friends,” Ivanka Trump told New York magazine. “We started dating pretty quickly after we met. It still felt like a slow process — a courtship, if you will.”
She told the magazine Kushner is her best friend:
Jared is my best friend for many reasons, largely because I’ve allowed him to see who I truly am and he still loves me. I don’t feel like I have any defensive walls built up around me. He’s so kind as a human being, I look up to him. He’s a bit of a hero of mine. His ability to remain focused — he lacks an anxiety that’s natural for someone his age handed so much responsibility … Sometimes I catch myself looking at him and being thankful that I have grown to a level of personal maturity that I would value so much the qualities he has.
Kushner and Trump now live in the Upper East Side.
2. They Have 2 Children Together & a Third on the Way
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump with their two children. (Instagram)
Kushner and Ivanka Trump have two children together, and she is pregnant with their third child.
Their daughter, Arabella Rose Kushner, is 4, and their son, Joseph, is 2.
Ivanka Trump is expected to give birth in early 2016.
3. He Is Also the Son of a New York Real Estate Mogul
(Getty)
Like his wife, Jared Kushner is the son of a New York real estate mogul, Charles Kushner. He is also involved in his family’s real estate company, Kushner Properties. He has been the CEO of the company since 2008.
Jared Kushner was born in New Jersey, and graduated from the Frisch School, a yeshiva high school in Paramus, before attending Harvard University and New York University School of LAw.
His father served two years in prison after he pleaded guilty in 2005 to federal tax evasion, witness tampering and illegal campaign donation charges. He was prosecuted by now-New Jersey Governor and former presidential candidate Chris Christie.
The family’s company owns 20,000 residential apartments nationwide, along with 12 million square feet of office, industrial and retail space.
“I spend probably about 80 percent of my time on Kushner Companies, and the other 20 percent on different companies I’m involved with or different projects I work on. I always try to focus on what needs the most attention,” Jared Kushner told the New York Times last year. “The good thing about being involved in a lot of things is that my experiences in all the various businesses inform my perspectives and views on all the other ones.”
Kushner said of the possibility of doing business with Donald Trump, “He’s a great father-in-law. We’re in different segments of the market. But, yeah, there’s no aversion to doing it.”
He said his wife is a “great sounding board” for his business decisions.
4. He Is the Owner & Publisher of the New York Observer Weekly Newspaper
(Getty)
Jared Kushner is also the owner and publisher of the weekly newspaper the New York Observer, which he purchased in 2006 when he was 25. He told the New York Times last year that the Observer is “cash-flow positive.”
The Observer’s editors have struggled with how to cover Donald Trump’s presidential run, given their conflict of interest. They have added a disclaimer disclosing the conflict on the end of every story about Trump.
“The Observer will continue to chew this over and discuss it internally and externally, as we’ve been responsibly doing. We will cover developments as we see fit and to the degree that we can do so without unnecessary conflicts, real or perceived,” editor Ken Kurson said. “The Observer will take its time to try to get it right and present coverage that is thoughtful and relevant, as we have always tried to do.”
5. His Younger Brother Is a Venture Capitalist Who Is Dating Model Karlie Kloss
Joshua Kushner and Karlie Kloss. (Instagram)
Jared Kushner’s brother, Joshua Kushner, also works for Kushner Properties and is a venture capitalist. HE is the owner of Vostu and Thrive Capital, and has invested in Oscar, a health insurance start-up, and Cadre, a technology platform designed to help clients invest in real estate.
Joshua Kushner is also the longtime boyfriend of Victoria’s Secret model Karlie Kloss.
Jared Kushner also has two sisters, Nicole and Dara.