Ivanka & Eric Trump's Juicy Conspiracy Theory

While a number of high-profile politicians and celebrities have thrown their weight behind Donald Trump ahead of next week's New York primary, two prominent New Yorkers will not be voting for him — and they're his own flesh and blood. Ivanka and Eric Trump won't vote for their dad next week, because they can't. Although the two Trump progeny have been hitting the campaign trail for their father, they are not allowed to vote for him on April 19 because New York holds a closed primary. That means you must be pre-registered as a member of the party whose primary you're planning to vote in, and Ivanka and Eric Trump are not registered Republicans.

Both Eric and Ivanka missed the October 9, 2015 deadline to register with a party in New York state, and thus won't be allowed to vote in its primary. "They were unaware of the rules and they didn't register in time," Trump told Fox News' Fox and Friends on Monday. “So Eric and Ivanka, I guess, won’t be voting." He went on to say that "They feel very, very guilty. They feel very guilty ... But it's fine. I understand that." Yes, because Trump is known for being so warmhearted and understanding of others.

While in all likelihood these two Trump kids slipped on the paperwork, it's hard not to wonder if maybe, just maybe, the snafu is kind of the perfect excuse to avoid voting for their father — a candidate known for stirring hate of Muslims and Latinos, making thinly-veiled menstruation insults toward Megyn Kelly, and bragging about the size of his penis during a nationally-televised debate. Could it be that Ivanka and Eric Trump managed to squeeze out between a rock and a hard place, stumping for good ol' dad while not having to technically vote for the xenophobic demagogue? Some folks on Twitter certainly smelled a conspiracy.

OK, that's definitely not the case. For one, Trump already has a huge edge in New York. According to the latest Real Clear Politics poll, Trump leads John Kasich, his closest competitor, in New York by more than 30 percentage points. His kids' two votes mean pretty much nothing with the lead he's got. But more importantly, Eric and Ivanka have only shown support for him during his campaign. They've both accompanied him on many occasions, with Ivanka speaking on his behalf at a rally in New York City less than two weeks after she gave birth to her third child, Theodore. “There’s a lot of things that makes him special ... but the most important is the strength of his character,” Ivanka said at one Big Apple rally last week. “My father has also succeeded because the common denominator is himself and his absolute refusal to take no for an answer.”

The only solace for The Donald may be that if two of his kids can't vote for him, they can't be voting for a potential Democratic rival either. According to New York State Board of Elections records, Eric and Ivanka Trump are registered voters but “not enrolled in a party.” Therefore, they're not permitted to vote in the Democratic primary and cast their votes for Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders.

However, eldest Trump child, Donald Trump, Jr., did manage to get his registration in order with New York, and will most likely be voting for his dad — presumably securing him the title of favorite child, at least until April 19.