Ivanka Trumpthe daughter of incoming President Donald Trump, is known for leading an active life.
As a mother of three and outdoor sports enthusiast, the 43-year-old is always on the go and has recently added jiu-jitsu to her mix of physical activity.
In a recent appearance on The Skinny Confidential Him & Her podcast, Trump shared how her daughter, Arabella, showed an interest in learning self-defense when she was 11.
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“I’m so in awe of (her),” Trump said of her daughter. “She came to me and said, ‘As a woman, I feel like I need to know how to defend myself, and I don’t feel confident enough to do that yet.’”
Ivanka Trump plays with her daughter, Arabella Rose Kushner, in the Rose Garden during a congressional picnic on the South Lawn of the White House in June 2017. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Trump responded: “When I was 11… I didn’t think about how to physically defend myself, and I thought that was the coolest thing.”
After researching self-defense options, Trump enrolled Arabella, now 13, in jiu-jitsu (martial arts) classes with the Valente Brothers in Miami, FL – and soon the whole family joined in.
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“(Arabella) started asking me to join – I joined,” she said. “Then my two sons wanted to do what their older sister did. Then my husband came along… It’s good for everyone.”
“It’s almost like a moving meditation.”
Trump, who now has a blue belt in jiu-jitsu, described that she likes how the sport “fits together physical movement.”
“It’s almost like a moving meditation because the movements are so micro,” she said. “It’s like three-dimensional chess.”
“There’s a kind of real spiritualism in it… It’s grounded in a kind of samurai tradition, culture and wisdom.”
During President Trump’s first term in the White House, Ivanka Trump noted that she had very little focus on fitness, only running weekly with husband Jared Kushner and “chasing the kids around the house.”
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Trump said she “was never a gym person” but always loved sports, which still holds true today.
She said she enjoys skiing, surfing and racquet sports such as padel tennis (a hybrid of tennis and squash) and pickle ball, which she described as “fun and social.”
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner take a walk with their children on December 10, 2022 in Miami, Florida. (MEGA/GC images)
‘Raise awareness’
On the podcast, Trump said she was drawn to jiu-jitsu because it combines physical fitness and philosophy.
It also focuses more on how to get yourself out of a dangerous situation before having to harm someone who poses a threat, she noted.
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“If you have these skills, you’re less likely to get into a fight, if not sooner,” Trump continued.
“Once you have the confidence that you can get out of a situation, there is a real focus on raising awareness.”
Ivanka Trump waves as she arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland ahead of US President Donald Trump’s departure on January 20, 2021. (ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
In an earlier interview with Fox News Digital, Rener Gracie, chief jiu-jitsu instructor at Gracie University in California, emphasized that the only truly reliable skills are those that are “mastered in muscle memory.”
This is done through the extensive practice of self-defense methods such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which are “leverage-based and do not rely on having a physical advantage over the subject,” he noted.
“If you have these skills, you’re less likely to end up in a fight, if not sooner.”
“And by that I mean strength, speed, power and size – because in almost all cases the attacker will target someone he believes is physically inferior to him.”
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Gracie, whose family founded Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), said jiu-jitsu is “highly sought after” because it only takes weeks or months for someone to “develop the core skills that can keep him or her safe.” in battle’. a violent physical encounter.”
‘Transformative’ strength training
In addition to mastering self-defense skills, Ivanka Trump recently revealed a shift in her fitness routine to weightlifting and resistance training.
Trump posted a video of himself on Instagram different exercises with various equipment in the gym, noting in the caption that she used to focus mainly on cardio, yoga and Pilates.
“Since moving to Miami, I’ve shifted my focus to weight lifting and resistance training, and it’s helped me build muscle and change my body composition in ways I never imagined,” she wrote.
“I believe in a strength training approach based on fundamental, proven and simple movements: squats, deadlifts, hinges, pushes and pulls. These are the cornerstones of my training, with an emphasis on functional strength for life.”
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Trump added that prioritizing form is “essential” to ensure results before weight increases.
“This ensures safe and steady progress while maintaining the integrity of each movement,” she continued. “I incorporate mobility work into my sessions to increase range of motion.”
“I believe in a strength training approach based on fundamental, proven and simple movements – squats, deadlifts, hinges, pushes and pulls,” Ivanka Trump wrote in an October Instagram post. (Ivanka Trump/Instagram)
“Weightlifting has not only increased my strength, but also my overall athleticism and resilience,” she added.
Trump said she spends three to four days a week strength training, including two solo sessions and two with a personal trainer.
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She also said it was increasing on her protein intake has also been “critical” to her progress.
“I now consume between 30 and 50 grams of protein per meal,” she said. “It’s working… I’ve never been so strong!”
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump arrive at the beach restaurant in Miami Beach, Florida on May 2, 2024. (MEGA/GC images)
Trump also still enjoys weekly yoga sessions, spending time outdoors with her children and exercising with friends, she said.
“I also incorporate a few short (10-minute) high-intensity interval workouts (such as sprints) every week to keep my cardiovascular fitness sharp and dynamic,” she noted.
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“This balanced approach has brought new energy into my life fitness routine and delivered great results.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Ivanka Trump for comment.
