At other times, she is a vocal advocate of women’s issues

Ivanka Trump has been vocal in using her White House role to advocate for women. But when President Donald Trump lobbed a demeaning attack on a woman TV host on Twitter this week, his daughter and senior adviser kept quiet.

It was a moment of silence that spoke to the challenges and calculations Ivanka Trump faces as she tries to promote family-friendly policies in an administration led by a man whose comments about women have made women cringe and drawn bipartisan rebuke.

In recent weeks, the younger Trump has discussed family leave with lawmakers, travelled to promote job-training efforts and spoken out against human trafficking. She has also tried to position herself as above the political fray, saying in one interview that she tries to “stay out of politics” and in another that she’s been surprised by the “level of viciousness” in Washington politics.

Blurred lines

The tussle between her father and ‘Morning Joe’ co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough offered a pointed reminder to Ivanka Trump that this is a city where it’s impossible to separate policy and politics.

The MSNBC hosts, in a Washington Post column on Friday, called on women close to the President to condemn him for questioning Ms. Brzezinski’s intelligence and saying that she was “bleeding badly from a face-lift” in a December encounter.