It’s not every day a governor’s memoir includes a story about presidential matchmaking aboard Marine One.
But according to Gavin Newsom, that’s exactly what happened.
In his new book, “Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery,” the California governor claims President Trump once complained to him that his daughter Ivanka passed on dating NFL legend Tom Brady — and chose Jared Kushner instead, who is her current husband.
Newsom writes that the conversation took place aboard the presidential helicopter, Marine One. According to the memoir, Trump told him that “when Brady was single, the two of them were at a function and Brady expressed an interest in dating his daughter Ivanka.”
“The quarterback asked for her number, and Trump gave it to him,” Newsom continued. “Brady called Ivanka and left a message, but she never called him back. Soon after, Brady related the snub to Trump, who then called his daughter.”
That’s when, according to Newsom, Trump confronted Ivanka directly.
“I said, ‘Jesus, you know, Tom Brady. What the hell is going on? Why aren’t you calling this guy back?’ And she tells me, ‘Oh, I’m in love.’ ‘What do you mean you’re in love?’ And that’s when she mentions, this guy.”
Newsom writes that Trump then gestured toward his son-in-law.
“‘This guy right here. This Kushner guy. I said to Ivanka, ‘Not the guy whose father just got out of prison?’”
Jared Kushner’s father, Charles Kushner, served two years in federal prison after pleading guilty in 2004 to 18 criminal counts, including tax evasion, witness retaliation, and making false campaign contributions. Trump later pardoned him at the end of his first term and appointed him ambassador to France in his second term.
According to Newsom, the exchange became awkward.
After a period of what he described as “dead air,” Kushner allegedly responded: “Yes, sir. I know I wasn’t your first choice.’”
“And then Trump turned to me and said, ‘Not even close, right, Gavin? Tom Brady. Tom Brady,’” Newsom wrote.
The California governor says he was struck by the dynamic, writing: “Trump was making his son-in-law feel two feet tall. ‘And Kushner just let him do it.’”
Ivanka and Jared Kushner began dating in 2005 after being introduced by mutual friends. They married in October 2009 at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Ivanka converted to Judaism before the marriage. The couple has three children: daughter Arabella Rose, 14, and sons Joseph Frederick, 12, and Theodore James, nine.
Trump had previously spoken publicly about the idea of Ivanka and Brady dating. In 2004, he told Howard Stern the two would make a “power dynasty.”
But Brady himself has downplayed any rumors.
“That was a long time ago in my life. … No, there was never that, where we ever dated or anything like that,” he told Stern in 2020.
Newsom’s memoir, as he positions himself as a potential 2028 White House contender, offers a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the personal dynamics of Trump’s inner circle — and an unexpected story involving football royalty, family loyalty, and a presidential helicopter ride.
