Chelsea Clinton & Ivanka Trump Are Still Friends

It feels impossible to imagine just how strange Chelsea Clinton's and Ivanka Trump's lives are. They are the children of two of the most well-known families in the nation, and grew up in that spotlight; one whose father was president and whose mother is running for president, and the other whose dad helms one of the world's largest real estate dynasties. But perhaps strangest of all is how these two women from impossibly powerful families remain friends while their parents duke it out for the presidency. Chelsea and Ivanka's friendship proves just how bizarre their lives are right now, and maybe how being from such prominent families strengthens their bond.

Last week, Chelsea went on The View and discussed her friendship with Ivanka, which has apparently lasted for quite some time.

We were friends long before this election, [and] we will be friends long after this election. Our friendship didn't start in politics, it certainly is not going to end because of politics. I have tremendous respect for Ivanka.

Chelsea's remarks came after Ivanka was interviewed for Harper's Bazaar, and she stated that because neither she nor Chelsea are the ones running for public office, they "of course" are still friends.

It really is amazing — to the point of even being unbelievable — that these two women have remained friends despite their parents' intense and public mudslinging of each other. Indeed, their parents made entire news cycles out of criticizing each other — Clinton has gone on-record about her distaste for Donald Trump, and both are actively employed by their parents' respective ventures. If ever there was a case for a conflict of interest, it's here, but the two remain steadfastly committed to their friendship (at least in the public eye).

The amount of commitment it must take for them to stay friends while their parents are competing so savagely for the presidency is mind-boggling to me. I remember getting in fights with friends over our parents' disagreements — are we to believe that those kinds of conversations really don't happen behind closed doors between the younger Clinton and Trump?

If nothing else, their relationship points to the strange state of affairs that many of the rich and powerful are in. Like other bizarre Hollywood friendships, Clinton and Trump manage to bridge the gap between their lives and experiences in a unique way. But given that the gap they're overcoming is the fact that their parents publicly insult each other in very intense ways everyday, their public friendship definitely shines a light on the strength of friendship between two women — no matter how strange it may seem.