--- title: Ivanka Trump Charity Coffee Date Removed From Website description: The coffee date with Ivanka that was being auctioned off on Charitybuzz.com has been removed from the website. canonical: https://time.com/4604992/ivanka-trump-coffee-date-auction/ author: Kerry Close article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-12-16T17:44:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:51.241Z article:section: Politics og:title: The Auction to Have Coffee With Ivanka Trump Disappeared From the Web og:description: Bidding had reached nearly $70,000 og:url: https://time.com/4604992/ivanka-trump-coffee-date-auction/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6049e533c569ae51/6988b351fb4eac554d890393/ivanka_trump_charity.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4893 og:image:height: 2752 og:image:alt: Ivanka Trump exits Trump Tower Nov. 17, 2016 in New York City. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Auction to Have Coffee With Ivanka Trump Disappeared From the Web twitter:description: Bidding had reached nearly $70,000 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6049e533c569ae51/6988b351fb4eac554d890393/ivanka_trump_charity.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ivanka Trump Was Auctioning Off a Charity Coffee Date. Then It Disappeared From the Internet > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=36787f24-2e5c-4209-acc1-b560f5ede224&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: You Can Have a Coffee Date With Ivanka Trump. But It's Not Cheap [Watch (HLS stream): You Can Have a Coffee Date With Ivanka Trump. But It's Not Cheap](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HnRhbqMy.m3u8) (0:48)  _Published 2016-12-13. MONEY VIDEO_ by [Kerry Close](https://time.com/author/kerry-close/) ## Kerry Close Dec 16, 2016 5:44 PM UTC  Ivanka Trump exits Trump Tower Nov. 17, 2016 in New York City. Ivanka Trump exits Trump Tower Nov. 17, 2016 in New York City. Drew Angerer—Getty Images by [Kerry Close](https://time.com/author/kerry-close/) ## Kerry Close Dec 16, 2016 5:44 PM UTC A charity auction for a coffee date with Ivanka Trump has been removed from Internet. The [auction](http://time.com/money/4599018/ivanka-trump-coffee-date-auction/) was intended to benefit the Eric Trump Foundation, which supports terminally-ill children at St. Jude Research Hospital. However, a New York _Times_ article [published Thursday](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/15/us/politics/ivanka-trump-charity-auction.html) also raised ethical questions about whether face time with an influential member of the future First Family should be up for sale. Bidding for the coffee outing—which would have lasted 35 to 40 minutes—started at $8,000 on Dec. 5 on CharityBuzz.com. As of Thursday evening, the highest bid for the java date was $67,888, from Russell Ybarra, a Tex-Mex restaurant chain owner who wanted to encourage Ivanka to push her father, [President-elect Donald Trump](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2016-donald-trump-choice/?xid=homepage&pcd=hp-magmod), not to restrict immigration law. The _Times_ piece quoted ethics lawyers who said that offering meetings with [Ivanka](http://motto.time.com/4591381/ivanka-trump-move-dc-climate-change/) Trump to the highest bidder could raise problems given how involved the President-elect’s eldest daughter has been in the transition process. Bidders also included a London-based investment manager who wanted to learn about Trump’s diplomatic plans for countries like Turkey where he invests, and a real estate executive who wanted to communicate with the president about election fraud. [Eric Trump](http://motto.time.com/4397182/eric-trump-ivanka-vp/) told the _Times_ on Thursday he was considering shutting down the auction. The original link to the site now redirects to CharityBuzz’s homepage, and no explanation was provided as to why the bid was removed. Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ivanka Trump had told the _Times_ that the charity auction is an annual tradition to fundraise for her brother’s foundation. This year, however, the winning bidder would have been required to pass a criminal background check and be approved by the Secret Service. The meeting would have taken place sometime between Jan. 1, 2017 and Jan. 1, 2018, held either at Trump Tower in New York City or the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4604992/ivanka-trump-coffee-date-auction/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4604992/ivanka-trump-coffee-date-auction/"},"headline":"Ivanka Trump Was Auctioning Off a Charity Coffee Date. 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