Trump: Appointing Ivanka Would Lead to 'Nepotism' Accusations

Nepotism spiked in lookups on October 9th, 2018, after Donald Trump mused aloud about appointing one of his daughters to the position of ambassador to the United Nations.

"I think Ivanka would be incredible," Trump told reporters as he prepared to depart the White House for a campaign rally in Iowa.
"You’d be accused of nepotism even though I’m not sure there’s anybody more competent in the world," Trump added.
- Brett Samuels, The Hill (thehill.com), 9 Oct. 2018

The word is defined as “favoritism (as in appointment to a job) based on kinship.” The etymology of nepotism is somewhat more specific than the current meaning, as it comes from the Latin word for “nephew” (nepote).

The word is not typically among our most searched-for entries; the last time it spiked so dramatically in lookups was in January of 2017, after Trump appointed Jared Kushner, his son-in-law (and Ivanka’s husband), to a senior position in his cabinet.