Independent Media | Campaigning Journalism
Donald Trump takes nepotism to the next level. This time, with his daughter. [VIDEO]
It appears that US President Donald Trump has just taken his nepotistic tendencies to a new level. On 29 March, The New York Times revealed that Trump’s daughter Ivanka will become a federal employee. Her title will be “Assistant to the President”. And she’ll become the first presidential child in modern history to do official work in the White House.
This comes just days after reports that a powerful new White House office – headed by Ivanka’s husband Jared Kushner – will ‘harvest ideas from the business world’.
It's official: Ivanka Trump has an actual job in the federal government pic.twitter.com/CTFwkNL16O
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 30, 2017
The response
Ivanka will apparently not receive any money for her new role. But for many commentators, Ivanka’s official involvement in the Trump Administration is simply another example of nepotism:
Two of the top official advisors to the president are in his family. Brazen nepotism that would make despots blush. https://t.co/5rrpST7Yt0
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) March 29, 2017
‘This is pure and simple nepotism’: The View torches Ivanka Trump’s formal White House position https://t.co/54rRYiLape pic.twitter.com/NPIwFyjHwT
— Raw Story (@RawStory) March 30, 2017
Obama White House ethics lawyer: Appointment of Ivanka is nepotism https://t.co/go7boh0p99 pic.twitter.com/yZ3b0MS2OW
— The Hill (@thehill) March 30, 2017
Could you imagine Republicans vitriol if it was Chelsea Clinton taking an office next to the oval rather than Ivanka Trump #ThursdayThoughts
— ♻️🇺🇸 Christopher Zullo (@ChrisJZullo) March 30, 2017
https://twitter.com/AKMMitchell/status/847312215363379202
Some even suggested the appointments made the US look like a monarchy:
The White House even more strongly resembles a dynastic royal court as Ivanka joins Jared as a formal WH official https://t.co/qFnuU6h0EJ
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 29, 2017
CNN Panel: Ivanka Trump's Appointment Makes Us Look Like a Monarchy. WATCH Fiery Full Debate: https://t.co/7N4uwybNdK… #ThursdayThoughts pic.twitter.com/LnJx5EqGoJ
— CitizenSlant (@CitizenSlant) March 30, 2017
And others just joked nervously:
Ivanka Trump, assistant to the President?
I don't think so!
Let's tell it like it is.
She is dad's babysitter!— The Tweetwit (@TheTweetwit) March 30, 2017
Ivanka Trump WH job is a victory for every millionaire-at-birth handbag designer who ever dreamed of being her father's unpaid work-wife.
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) March 30, 2017
The Justice Department wrote a memo in January regarding federal anti-nepotism laws, in which it concluded that the rules don’t apply to the White House.
But to many Americans, this just looks bad.
Get Involved!
– See more on Donald Trump at The Canary Global.
– Visit our Facebook and Twitter pages for more international coverage.
Featured image via Wikimedia Commons and Michael Vadon/Flickr
We need your help ...
The coronavirus pandemic is changing our world, fast. And we will do all we can to keep bringing you news and analysis throughout. But we are worried about maintaining enough income to pay our staff and minimal overheads.
Now, more than ever, we need a vibrant, independent media that holds the government to account and calls it out when it puts vested economic interests above human lives. We need a media that shows solidarity with the people most affected by the crisis – and one that can help to build a world based on collaboration and compassion.
We have been fighting against an establishment that is trying to shut us down. And like most independent media, we don’t have the deep pockets of investors to call on to bail us out.
Can you help by chipping in a few pounds each month?
Support us