Why Jared Kushner could be the most dangerous man in the US | Arwa Mahdawi
The president’s son-in-law has spent his life failing upwards. Now his position of authority on the Covid-19 task force poses a serious threat to the world
Natalie Portman once described Jared Kushner – a former classmate of hers at Harvard – as “a supervillain”. This seems unwarranted: while the president’s son-in-law is certainly a joker, he lacks the charisma needed for supervillain status. Indeed, the man lacks any charisma whatsoever; he has the presence of a piece of plywood.
In many ways, Kushner’s wooden demeanour has been his greatest strength: it has helped him fly under the radar. Politics has become a reality TV show and quiet Kushner is often too boring to bother with; it is far more interesting to focus on his glamorous wife, Ivanka Trump, or his garrulous father-in-law. Yet over the past few years Kushner has managed to insert himself into the highest levels of decision-making while largely remaining behind the scenes.