With #TogetherApart, Ivanka Trump capitalises on the coronavirus moment
Ivanka Trump has been working from home since Friday, after coming into close contact with an Australian politician who tested positive for the coronavirus. While it is not entirely clear what Ivanka, the president’s senior adviser, is actually working on, she seems to have taken on a new role as Chief Morale Officer. Over the past few days, the 38-year-old, who styles herself as a champion of working mothers, has been busy tweeting uplifting ideas for family quarantine activities using the hashtag #TogetherApart.
“Staying home today w/ kids? Plan living room camp out!” she suggested on Tuesday, alongside a photo, taken a few years ago, of her hanging out with the children in a tent made out of sheets. “Plan a menu & ‘pack’ sandwiches, salads (S’mores optional)! A fun activity that also brings family together for a meal!”
While Ivanka might believe indoor forts are a good way to bring the family together, using a global pandemic as a glamorous photo-op hasn’t proved the best way to unite America. The first daughter’s social media posts have sparked a massive backlash, with many accusing Ivanka of being oblivious to the difficulties currently facing most working families.
“I have friends CRYING in their living rooms because they got laid off yesterday and don’t know how they will pay their mortgage,” one person tweeted.
Eighteen per cent of American workers have already been laid off or had their work hours cut because of the coronavirus, according to a survey. Many parents aren’t just worried about keeping their kids amused, they’re worried about keeping them fed. Ivanka’s posts make her seem like a modernday Marie Antoinette. Except, instead of saying ‘let them eat cake’ she’s tweeting ‘let them build tents.’
Ivanka was also criticized for sharing glamour shots of her family “camping” while migrants are crowded in unsanitary camps at the border. “Thinking of all the families separated forcefully by your father’s policies today,” congresswoman Ilhan Omar wrote. “Share your ideas on how you plan to unite them.”
While many liberals have dismissed Ivanka’s #TogetherApart posts as “tone deaf”, images of her at home playing the perfect mother while her husband is busy “saving” the world from coronavirus seem to be striking just the right note among some conservatives. Rightwing outlets have been quick to paint Ivanka as “pro-family”, while using the story as another excuse to attack Omar.
A headline from the conservative Washington Examiner, for example, reads: “Omar faces backlash for response to Ivanka Trump’s pro-family coronavirus message.”
Ivanka may have questionable governmental credentials, but she’s got a lot of experience when it comes to optics. Far from being oblivious, her coronavirus content is arguably a calculated attempt to soften the Trump administration’s image and project the image of good old-fashioned values.
Not even a pandemic can stop Ivanka building her personal brand.