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Jared Kushner’s Brother Just Gave Thousands Of Dollars To March For Our Lives

by Lani Seelinger
David X Prutting/BFA/REX/Shutterstock

Political leanings don't always run in families, it turns out. One example can be found in the Kushner family, where brothers Jared and Josh have implicitly expressed different views on the gun control debate. Jared Kushner hasn't publicly broken with the White House's stance on gun control, but his brother Josh Kushner reportedly donated to March For Our Lives — the march that's being organized by Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students to spark meaningful change to prevent gun violence.

Jared rarely speaks in public, and he has not come out strongly one way or another about his beliefs on how to prevent gun violence and whether increased gun control measures should be enacted. Josh also hasn't made any announcement, but his quiet $50,000 donation seems to speak for itself.

Josh, Jared's younger brother, is a successful businessman in his own right, and a spokesman said in 2016 that Josh is also a lifelong Democrat. He's founded multiple businesses, including Thrive Capital, a venture capital company; Oscar, a health insurance provider; and Cadre, a platform for managing real estate investments.

Besides his Democratic leanings, Josh also raised questions about how much he would align with his brother when people noticed that he had showed up for the Women's March on Washington the day after President Trump's election. He said that he was only there “observing” the march, but he had also previously said that Donald Trump would not be getting his vote.

Jared, on the other hand, has gone a different direction with his business interests. He played a large part in running Kushner Companies until he divested in order to become a senior White House advisor — though critics have raised questions about whether he has indeed separated himself enough from his family's company. He led the company to making an investment in a Manhattan building that has since failed to pay off, and he also bought the New York Observer newspaper.

Jared, who entered the White House without any previous experience in politics or government, reportedly had outsized influence at the beginning of his father in law's administration, but he's since seen it shrink. While he hasn't spoken publicly about his own specific political leanings, he strongly supported President Trump's campaign and took on numerous duties — ranging from sparking American innovation in business to finding peace in the Middle East.

Jared, like Josh, used to donate to Democratic causes, including Democratic politicians, before joining Trump's campaign.

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Josh joins notable celebrities like George Clooney and Oprah in supporting the March For Our Lives, which the Parkland students are organizing for March 24. There are now over 650 marches in locations around the U.S. and the world, and the organizers are making a significant fundraising push in addition to asking businesses to support their movement in other ways.

They've already seen some significant steps from the business community in reaction to their calls for increased gun control, like Dicks' Sporting Goods' decision not to sell assault rifles, high-capacity magazines, or any guns to customers under 21 years of age. Numerous companies, including multiple car rental companies and airlines, also withdrew their partnerships with the NRA.

The White House has announced that they will back a series of proposals meant to increase school safety, but they stop short of what the March For Our Lives organizers are advocating for. Jared hasn't spoken out about it either way, but Josh's donation to March For Our Lives suggests that at least in this case, he's chosen a clearer side than his brother.