Donald Trump has grounded daughter Ivanka “pretty much forever,” he predicted. He explained that she’s been “acting up a lot lately, not being grateful enough to me, her favorite president, and needs time alone to change her ways.” The terms of her indeterminate “time out” are severe: no leaving her room; no cell phone, television, or other communications devices; no talking through her bedroom door to lawyers, judges, court representatives, or pizza delivery guys; no pizza; no sending or receiving mail, such as subpoenas; and other limitations too punitive to be reported here.
The timing of this is unfortunate as she is scheduled to testify on November 8th in her father’s ongoing civil trial. “This grounding means that she is not permitted to testify on the 8th except in the unlikely event that Mr. Trump releases her from her time out,” said Judge Arthur Engoron, the judge overseeing the case. “Moreover, there is no predicting when she will be released. We might be without her crucial testimony for weeks, months, or years. We are frankly dumbfounded. This court will not interfere with the important father-daughter relationship, however, we ask her to accede to Mr. Trump’s requests for numerous apologies with all deliberate speed, if not sooner.”
Mr. Trump’s spokesperson indicated that “Ivanka’s transgressions are severe and her time out must be severe enough for her to learn to be more grateful to the President. Time will tell, but we expect a long period of confinement. It is unfortunate she will miss providing testimony in the civil trial, but parental discipline trumps all other considerations.”
