Ivanka Trump, the daughter of incoming President Donald Trump, is known for living an active life.
As a mother of three and an outdoor sports enthusiast, the 43-year-old is always on the go, recently adding jiu-jitsu to her workout mix.
In a recent appearance on the Skinny Confidential Him & Her podcast, Trump shared how his daughter, Arabella, expressed an interest in learning self-defense when she was 11 years old.
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“I'm just surprised [her],” Trump said of his daughter. “She came to me and said, 'As a woman, I feel like I need to be able to defend myself, and I don't have the confidence to do that.' “
Ivanka Trump plays with her daughter, Arabella Rose Kushner, in the Rose Garden during the Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn of the White House in June 2017. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Trump responded, “For 11 years … I couldn't think how to defend myself, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever.”
After researching defense options, Trump enrolled Arabella, now 13, in jiu-jitsu (karate) classes with the Valente Brothers in Miami, Florida — and soon the whole family joined.
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“[Arabella] he started asking me to join – I joined,” he said. “Then my two sons wanted to do what their older sister did. Then my husband joined … It's good for everyone.”
“It's almost like a moving meditation.”
Trump, now a blue belt in jiu-jitsu, explained that he likes the way the sport “works with body movements.”
“It's almost like moving meditation because the movement is very small,” she said. “It's like three-dimensional chess.”
“It's like a real spirit in it… It's the foundation of a kind of samurai culture and tradition and wisdom.”
During President Trump's first term in the White House, Ivanka Trump noted that she was very focused on exercise, only jogging every week with husband Jared Kushner and “chasing the kids around the house.”
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Trump shared that he was “never a gym person,” but he always loved sports, which is still true today.
He said he enjoys skiing, surfing and racquet sports such as padel tennis (a hybrid of tennis and squash) and soccer, which he described as “fun and social.”
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were spotted visiting with their children on Dec. 10, 2022, Miami, Florida. (MEGA/GC Photos)
'Raising awareness'
In the podcast, Trump said he was drawn to jiu-jitsu because it combines physical fitness with philosophy.
It also focuses more on how to get yourself out of a dangerous situation before harming the threat, he noted.
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“Having these skills makes you less likely to fight, less likely to fight,” Trump continued.
“Once you have confidence that you can get out of a situation, the focus is really on raising awareness.”
Ivanka Trump raises her hand as she arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland where US President Donald Trump is leaving on Jan. 20, 2021. (ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Rener Gracie, the head teacher of jiu-jitsu at Gracie University in California, emphasized that the only skills that are truly reliable are those that are “done well in muscle memory.”
This happens by practicing self-defense techniques such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which are “based on balance and not dependent on having a physical advantage over the subject,” he noted.
“Having these skills makes you less likely to fight, less likely to fight.
“And by that, I mean strength, speed, power and size – because in almost every situation, an attacker will target someone they feel is physically inferior to them.”
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Gracie, whose family created Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), shared that jiu-jitsu is “in high demand” because it only takes weeks or months for someone to “develop basic skills that can keep them safe violent physical contact.”
'Transformative' strength training
In addition to mastering self-defense skills, Ivanka Trump recently revealed a change in her fitness routine to include weightlifting and resistance training.
On Instagram, Trump posted a video showing different workouts on various machines at the gym, noting in the caption that he was focusing on cardio, yoga and Pilates.
“Since moving to Miami, I have focused on weightlifting and resistance training, and it has been revolutionary in helping me build muscle and change my body composition in ways I never imagined,” he wrote.
“I believe in a strength training method built on basic, time-tested and simple movements – squats, deadlifts, hinges, push and pulls. These are the basics of my exercises, emphasizing the functional power of life.”
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Trump added that prioritizing form is “important” to ensure results before adding weight.
“This ensures a safe and robust progression while maintaining the integrity of each movement,” he continued. “I incorporate movement work into my sessions to improve range of motion.”
“I believe in a strength training method built on basic, time-tested and simple movements – squats, deadlifts, hinges, pushes and pulls,” Ivanka Trump wrote in an October Instagram post. (Ivanka Trump/Instagram)
“Lifting not only improves my strength but my athleticism and stamina,” he added.
Trump said he devotes three to four days a week to strength training, including two sessions on his own and two with a personal trainer.
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He also said that increasing his protein intake was also “critical” to his progress.
“Now I eat 30 to 50 grams of protein,” she said. “It works… I've never been stronger!”
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are seen arriving at a beachside restaurant on May 2, 2024, in Miami Beach, Florida. (MEGA/GC Images)
Trump also still enjoys weekly yoga sessions, spending time outside with his children and playing sports with friends, she said.
“I also incorporate several (10-minute), high-intensity training sessions (such as sprints) each week to keep my cardiovascular fitness sharp and strong,” he noted.
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“This balanced approach has injected new energy into my fitness routine and produced great results.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Ivanka Trump for comment.
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