Chelsea Clinton explains why she and Ivanka Trump are no longer friends

The daughter of former President Bill Clinton made it clear why she hasn't spoken to former friend Ivanka Trump since 2016.

Chelsea Clinton (left) and Ivanka Trump (right).Photo Illustration / AP, Getty Images
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Chelsea Clinton shared on TODAY in 2016 that she considered Ivanka Trump a friend even as their parents were in a fierce competition for the presidency.

That is no longer the case and hasn't been for years, as Clinton, 40, made clear to Andy Cohen on "Watch What Happens Live" on Thursday.

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"I've not spoken to her since 2016," she said, referring to Trump. "I have no interest in being friends with someone who is not only complicit, but actively taking part in this administration's everyday collision of cruelty and incompetence. So, that's the answer."

Both presidential daughters were part of their parents' respective campaigns in 2016, with Clinton introducing her mother, Hillary Clinton, at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, and Trump introducing her father, President Donald Trump, at the Republican National Convention that same year. Ivanka, 38, has since served as a senior adviser in the Trump administration.

Ivanka Trump and Chelsea Clinton in better times at the 2014 Glamour Women Of The Year Awards. Laura Cavanaugh / FilmMagic

In the wake of their fallout in 2016, the two first daughters were most recently seen at the same event in 2018 at the funeral for President George H.W. Bush.

Clinton noted on TODAY in 2016 that she and Ivanka had "very different views" about who should be president, but remained friends. The subsequent years of the Trump presidency have changed that.

"We were in touch at the beginning of the campaign, but it's just really hard when there's someone who's actively embracing their candidate, whether it's their father or not, who is trafficking in racism and sexism and anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and homophobia and transphobia and conspiracy theories and lies, and is so fundamentally corrupt," Clinton told Cohen.

"At some point, I don't think they're the same by any standard, but I think she's more than complicit as anyone who has worked for him for so long by definition is, and I don't want to be friends with someone like that."

While her friendship with Ivanka has soured, she did come to the defense of Ivanka's younger brother, Barron, in 2017 after the then-10-year-old was the subject of social media jokes following Trump's inauguration.

"Barron Trump deserves the chance every child does-to be a kid," she tweeted. "Standing up for every kid also means opposing @POTUS policies that hurt kids."

Clinton's comments to Cohen came hours before President Trump and first lady Melania Trump revealed they have tested positive for the coronavirus. Ivanka and Barron Trump have both tested negative, White House officials said Friday.