Kim Kardashian's White House Visit Challenged Her Career, New Book Reveals

Kim Kardashian's foray into criminal justice reform, including a pivotal meeting with President Donald Trump, was met with significant career warnings, according to details from the new book "Citizen Kim: The Woman Who Created the Future" by Jonathan Van Meter.

Kardashian's advocacy began in October 2017 after she saw a video of Alice Marie Johnson, who was serving a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense. Prompted to take action, Kardashian contacted attorney Shawn Holley, who had been part of O.J. Simpson's defense team, to understand how to help Johnson. Discovering that a presidential pardon was the only route, Kardashian was connected by Ivanka Trump to Jared Kushner, who facilitated a meeting with President Trump.

Despite concerns about the "optics" of such a meeting, Kardashian recalled that advisors warned her against it, fearing it would damage her career. "Everyone was telling me, ‘Don’t go, your career will be over; you can’t step foot in there,’" Kardashian stated in the book. "And I was like, ‘It’s my reputation over someone’s life?’ Weigh that out... People talk s--t about me all day long. It will just be another story about me versus someone getting their life back."

Less than a week after her meeting with Trump, Kardashian was able to inform Johnson of her clemency, and Johnson was released from prison.

Kardashian's engagement with the Trump White House marked her first step toward pursuing a legal career and expanding her advocacy work. She later met with President Trump again, this time accompanied by attorney Van Jones, to advocate for an individual serving a life sentence for a nonviolent crime. Jones noted Kardashian's preparedness during the meeting, stating she had "memorized the case" and effectively conveyed the details to the president.

In addition to her advocacy, the book delves into Kardashian's personal life, including her past relationship and ongoing coparenting challenges with Kanye West. The couple, married in 2014 and divorced in 2021, share four children. Kardashian expressed that she continues to worry about West, particularly given his public struggles with mental health. She detailed efforts to maintain a stable environment for their children, implementing "lockdowns" to shield them from negative news and public events.

"My whole household knows what a ‘lockdown’ means if I text it," Kardashian explained. "No TVs, just movies. No just plug in a phone for music in the car. Not even, like, XM, because they talk about current events in real time. like, they don’t have to be a party to this."

Despite the difficulties, Kardashian stated she encourages her children to maintain relationships with their father and his family, even hosting family members for dinners when they are in town.

The book also touches on family history, including Kris Jenner's extramarital affair that led to her divorce from Robert Kardashian Sr. in 1990. While Kris Jenner described the affair as "out of control, crazy, dangerous," Kim Kardashian recalled it differently, noting that her mother introduced her boyfriends to the children. Kourtney Kardashian reportedly had a more difficult reaction to their parents' divorce than Kim.

Earlier in her career, O.J. Simpson reportedly doubted the longevity of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," predicting the show would not last more than two weeks. The series, however, ran for over 14 years and led to numerous spin-offs, with a new show, "The Kardashians," currently airing its eighth season on Hulu.