Jared Kushner’s book blitz is straight out of Donald Trump’s PR Playbook – newsdubai

The cameras went live at Fox headquarters in Midtown Manhattan last week as Larry Kudlow introduced a special guest in the studio. Beside him was Jared Kushner, his former Trump administration colleague who, to plug his memoir, Breaking History. Who should actually read this book? Kudlow asked.

“I wasn’t really a communicator when we were in Washington,” Kushner began in his signature ultra-slim suit and stiff spread collar. “I was behind the scenes… It is [for] people who want to know the truth, who want to know what the media didn’t tell them…about what actually happened inside the Trump White House.”

It’s rare for an author to undersell something on a book tour. But Kushner saying he wasn’t really a communicator during his four years in Washington doesn’t quite capture the way he blended into his surroundings. He almost never sat for interviews or spoke to reporters on the record, which was unusual for such a senior, longtime figure in a West Wing generally obsessed with cable news and navel-gazing gossip. Why would Kushner put himself out there? He had no need. His position and hard power had always been secure, the quieter the better.

In the first days after Breaking History was released, Kushner did more interviews than he had in his combined six years in the public eye, by a long shot. In the weeks leading up to the publication, parts of the book’s newest details trickled out New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post, as well as Vanity Fair. Hope Hicks coordinated requests, with a little help from Kushner’s longtime right-hand man, Avi Berkowitz. Kushner revived his Instagram account to post behind-the-scenes photos of events he wrote about in the book, paying tribute to his father-in-law and urging his followers to pick up copies. The same goes for his Twitter account, which until now had almost never been used (Kushner himself did not post on either platform; that was left to employees). He sent multiple email blasts each day to his father-in-law’s email list, asking people to donate at least $75 to receive a signed copy of the book.

“I’ve never reached out before,” read his first email, which was followed by many more, plus some cameo correspondence from his wife, Ivanka Trump. “I am very proud of this book and humbled by the support I have received so far. I want to thank you for always standing by my family and me by sending you a signed copy of my new book,” Kushner wrote . And “Only contributions of $75 or more.” Kushner’s combo-promoting income went to the PAC Trump founded after he lost the election, the Save America Joint Fundraising Committee. Trump himself praised Breaking History in a post on Truth Social and another email to his supporters. The book’s release happens to come at a time when Kushner and his wife’s father are the closest they have been in years, according to people familiar with their relationship. For the past few months, the two men have lived in cabins 30 feet apart in Bedminster, New Jersey, separated just by the entrance to the pool.

It’s not surprising that Kushner remained so under the radar until now. He enjoyed complete security in Trump’s notoriously insecure orbit and had enough of Trump’s ear that he didn’t have to reach him by talking to the press, as many of his other aides felt they had to. He had a pretty nice life without all this; he was rich by birth, made richer by connections made during his time in the White House.

What’s striking is that he’s decided to turn up the volume after so many years of intense scrutiny where he could just continue living the lowest, by all accounts, life he’s set up for himself since left the White House. He and Ivanka moved to Florida with people who were happy to trade New York City for the tax break. His investment firm, Affinity Partners, raised more than $3 billion, including a $2 billion commitment from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. He has received relatively little attention, other than a few gossip articles that included details of Ivanka almost walking the family dog ​​on a dog-free beach, and the couple reportedly having a date night in Rochester, Minnesota, where the Mayo Clinic is located, about the night FBI agents executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago. Interfering with selling books, especially for a billionaire, seems to defeat the purpose. I was initially surprised that after the White House, the Kushners wouldn’t try to at least publicly distance themselves from the Trump brand — especially after January 6th and committee hearings and polling on January 6th showing that the American public is losing its taste for Trump – as they went their merry way.