How Ivanka Trump and her husband are impacting the 2016 race
Three of Donald Trump's five children have already addressed the Republican National Convention, and Ivanka Trump gets her turn Thursday night. She will introduce her father before he takes the stage to accept the presidential nomination.
Trump's three oldest children sit alongside him in the boardroom, negotiating deals and deciding on building projects as executives at The Trump Organization. Now they're bringing that family dynamic into the political arena, with Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, playing the most prominent roles, reports CBS News correspondent Julianna Goldman.
In Trump's inner circle, it's his children who are the brain trust. They wield influence rarely seen in a presidential campaign.
They urged Trump to fire campaign manager Corey Lewandowski in June, and they gave the final blessing for Indiana Gov. Mike Pence to be their father's running mate.
"They've been a major factor in sort of creating stability around a candidate that didn't really have much of a campaign staff," said Rick Davis, Sen. John McCain's 2008 campaign manager.
It's 34-year-old Ivanka who has stepped forward as chief surrogate for her father.
"She's got the toughest job, potentially, at this convention," Wall Street Journal senior writer Monica Langley said. "Her job is to bridge the gap with women."
Ivanka's husband, Jared Kushner, is also a major player.
"Jared's a very successful developer, and he just loves politics now," Trump said of his son-in-law in November 2015.
Like his father-in-law, Kushner is a wealthy real estate developer. He also owns the New York Observer newspaper.
"The first thing he did is he helped set up the digital operation for the campaign. Then he started setting up the policy shop. ... Before you knew it, Jared Kushner became the senior adviser to Donald Trump," Langley said.
Recently, Kushner, who is an Orthodox Jew, published an editorial in his paper defending Trump when he was facing a firestorm of criticism for retweeting anti-Semitic imagery. He also advises on policy and helped craft Trump's address for the pro-Israel AIPAC conference in March. Kushner's influence has helped smooth the campaign's jagged edges.
But it hasn't always worked. Kushner tapped experienced political speechwriters to help craft Melania Trump's prime time address Monday, but she largely rejected their draft. Her version led to charges she plagiarized Michelle Obama's 2008 convention speech.
As political newcomers, he and Ivanka are making their mark on the presidential race.
"Ivanka has a sizable role, even perhaps more than Jared," Langley said. "Even though Jared has become very hands-on, as one campaign adviser told me, when Ivanka speaks, everyone listens."
As her father's chief surrogate, Ivanka is also filling a role we typically see with a candidate's spouse. In addition to potentially helping appeal to women voters, she's also a registered Independent and may be able to help reach out to independent voters in this next phase of the campaign.