Who is Jared Kushner? Karoline Leavitt snaps at NYT reporter over Jared Kushner's Middle East deals controversy

White House Secretary Karoline Leavitt was visibly triggered on Wednesday when a NYT reporter questioned Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner's involvement in the Middle East deals. New York Times reporter McCreesh asked Leavitt, “How did the White House decide that it is appropriate for Jared Kushner to be working on matters that involve Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, three countries that combined have given him more than $2.5 billion for his investment firm?”

This angered Karoline Leavitt; she snapped, “I think it’s frankly despicable that you’re trying to suggest that it’s inappropriate for Jared Kushner." She framed that Jared is ‘widely respected around the world.’ She, for a minute, heaped praises on him, for devoting his time and energy to achieving peace in the Middle East.

Who is Jared Kushner?

Jared Kushner, a real estate developer, investor, and former senior White House advisor, is married to US President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump. Their relationship, which Ivanka described as the ‘best deal we ever made’. Jared Kushner was born in an orthodox Jewish family to Charles Kushner, and received his education in a Jewish school and always presented Palestinians as a security threat. Many critics termed Kushner to be ‘in bed’ with Benjamin Netanyahu. His family has a longstanding relationship with Netanyahu. His father, Charles, is a substantial donor to institutions and settlements in the occupied West Bank, such as Beit El. Netanyahu himself publicly admitted that he had known Jared since he was a boy. Kushner married Ivanka even before Donald Trump became the US President. Ivanka converted to Judaism so that Jared and his family would accept her. A decision that Ivanka described as 'a great life decision' that provided a ‘blueprint for family connectivity’.

Charles Kushner was a registered donor to Trump's political campaigns; in return, Trump pardoned Charles Kushner's prison term in 2020 for tax evasion, witness tampering and illegal donations. Jared Kushner was the link between Donald Trump and AIPAC. He organised speeches and acted as a key advisor for Trump during his speeches.

Why is Kushner in controversy?

Kushner had made a series of controversial statements about the Israel-Palestine conflict. In 2024, Kushner suggested that Palestinians in Gaza could be relocated, and the 'waterfront property' could be used to develop a 'Riviera of the Middle East' by a so-called ‘GREAT Trust’ (Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration, and Transformation Trust). The idea was floated by Kushner and proposed by Donald Trump with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in August 2025. The oldest trick in the US Imperialism playbook, one that has caused irreparable damage to countries like Indonesia, which is still raging in protest.

Critics argue that Kushner's firm, Affinity Partners, has benefited financially from the connections he cultivated during his term in office. Kushner was a key architect of the Abraham Accords to achieve peace between Israel and Arab states, while the West claims that it is a step towards progress, but critics claim that it is a way to extend the settler footprint and manage the Palestinian conflict, either by bombing them or starving them. In September 2025, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich publicly described the devastated Gaza Strip as a "real estate bonanza" and suggested a profit-sharing arrangement with the United States.