Melania Trump’s new female-led initiative just hit an embarrassing snag tied to her own stepdaughter’s past work. The first lady’s Imperia project shares striking similarities with a company Ivanka Trump previously championed that later fled the country.
How Ivanka Trump previously supported the original Imperia Global
The New York Times reported that Melania Trump’s Imperia initiative bears striking similarities to Imperia Global. Jennifer Forbes Iannolo launched Imperia Global in 2015 to connect female entrepreneurs, business leaders and innovators. Melania launched her own Imperia project in September while ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
During Trump’s first term, the State Department invited Forbes Iannolo to represent Imperia Global at events in Greece and Finland. These events formed part of a directive that then-White House adviser Ivanka oversaw to promote female entrepreneurs. Forbes Iannolo confirmed the first lady’s team never contacted her about setting up another initiative with almost the same name. “People were checking in to ask if I’d sold my company,” she told the Times. She added that Imperia Global is now registered in Britain but has scaled back its work significantly. “It is alive but asleep,” Forbes Iannolo said.
Imperia Global left the U.S. over fears of being targeted in the Trump administration’s anti-DEI pushback. “This is completely confusing for employers trying to navigate the administration’s civil rights priorities,” David Cohen, president of DCI Consulting Group, told the Times. “I support the first lady in her initiative but are employers going to run afoul of the administration if they follow it?”
Marc Beckman, Melania’s senior adviser, previously dubbed the initiative “Davos for Women.” In response to the DEI concerns, Beckman told the Times that “Imperia has nothing to do with the issues you raised.” “Together, we can convert individual success into collective momentum,” the first lady said at the launch.
