What To Know About Josh Kushner’s Left-Leaning Politics—Amid Speculation Of Trump Role In Lakers Deal

Aug 14, 2026 03:19 AM - 2 hours ago 1

Topline

Josh Kushner, the younger relative of Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, has raised speculation lately astir really his relationship to Trump mightiness person aided his sports financing deals—but based connected what’s publically known astir his politics, they disagree greatly from his brother’s.

Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner be the 2026 Met Gala celebrating "Costume Art" astatine Metropolitan Museum of Art connected May 04, 2026 successful New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

Kusher, on pinch erstwhile Disney CEO Bob Iger, bought mostly ownership successful the Lakers, it was announced Wednesday, weeks aft a woody for Kushner’s Thrive Capital to put successful a FIFA offshoot fell through—two deals tangentially connected to the Trump administration.

While the White House has said Trump had nary engagement successful the Lakers woody and Trump himself has denied engagement successful the FIFA plan, the links betwixt Kushner and Trump person been difficult to ignore, though Kushner and Trump don’t align politically.

Kushner, described successful a 2017 Forbes article arsenic his brother’s champion friend and truthful adjacent to Ivanka he referred to her arsenic his “sister” alternatively than “sister-in-law,” told america astatine the time, “it’s nary concealed that wide values person guided my life and that I person supported governmental leaders that stock akin values.”

Kushner did not ballot for Trump successful 2016, nor did he be Trump’s first inauguration, but he was spotted that twelvemonth astatine the Women’s March successful Washington, D.C.

He has donated to wide causes, including $50,000 to March for Our Lives successful 2018, according to Axios, and $250,000 to Growth Democrats governmental action committee successful 2024, New York mag reported.

His wife, exemplary Karlie Kloss, has been outspoken astir really her governmental views disagree from her in-laws, telling Bloomberg past period she has ne'er met Trump and that she and her hubby are Democrats.

Crucial Quote

“I’m a Democrat, and I deliberation it’s imaginable to person relationships pinch group who you politically don’t align with,” Kloss told Bloomberg.

Tangent

In summation to Jared Kushner, their father, Charles Kushner, is simply a adjacent Trump ally. He donated $1 cardinal to Trump’s main ace PAC successful 2023. In 2020, Trump pardoned the elder Kushner aft he pleaded blameworthy to taxation evasion, forbidden run donations and witnesser tampering, among different charges. Charles Kushner now serves arsenic U.S. ambassador to France and Monaco.

Forbes Valuation

We estimate Josh Kushner is worthy $5.2 billion.

Key Background

Kushner, laminitis of Thrive Capital, and Iger, who joined Thrive earlier this twelvemonth aft leaving Disney, bought a mostly liking successful the Lakers from Mark Walter astatine a $12.5 cardinal valuation, the largest sports woody successful history. Walter, proprietor of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chelsea Premier League shot team, purchased the Lakers from the Buss family astatine a $10 cardinal valuation conscionable 14 months ago. The speedy turnaround, overlapping pinch a national probe into Walter’s financial firm, has raised eyebrows astir why he unloaded the squad truthful quickly, peculiarly aft making important investments to restructure the business. Adding different furniture to the conspiracy theories is that Kushner’s woody to lead an investor group successful buying a information of FIFA’s business, including the World Cup, conscionable fell through. The Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission are looking into imaginable fraud related to private-credit deals involving insurers Walter owns and his Guggenheim Partners financial services firm, multiple outlets reported. Meanwhile, a conjugation of FIFA members and executives efficaciously blocked the waste of a caller FIFA spinoff to Thrive and different backstage investors, citing guidance to the engagement of backstage equity successful the nonprofit FIFA organization. Trump has maintained he had nary engagement successful the FIFA deal, and the White House told Front Office Sports connected Wednesday the Lakers waste “has thing to do pinch President Trump aliases his administration.”