If timing truly is everything, Ivanka Trump could stand to learn a thing or two before she fires off her next tweet. Time and time again, Donald Trump's daughter-turned-adviser shoots out seemingly innocuous messages at exactly the wrong time. She isn't nearly as bombastic as her father, of course, but there have still been an astonishing amount of times in which Ivanka's tweets were almost as tone-deaf as Trump's.
Whether it's a vacation photo days after her father proposed cutting financial support for poor Americans or praising her father's decision to bomb a country whose refugees he does not want to accept, she doesn't have a great track record.
This is all complicated by the fact that Ivanka has repeatedly gone on the record saying that she isn't political or doesn't consider herself a surrogate for her father, while then proceeding to take an office in the West Wing. It is dubious at best, and flagrantly hypocritical at worst, to attempt to occupy the most political building in the United States while claiming to leave politics to other people. But Ivanka is as Ivanka does, and Ivanka does a lot - particularly online, and frequently at the worst possible time. One thing is true, though: the Internet pays attention.
Be One Country
After specifically decrying "racism, white supremacy and neo-nazis," Ivanka followed up her Charlottesville response with a call for unity. The message ignored the fact that the violence in Charlottesville was perpetrated by neo-Nazis, with whom no one should feel they have to make amends. And while she sent this tweet, her father was facing criticism for his own neutral response to the violence.
It's unclear who the intended audience for this message was, or what she aimed to accomplish by contradicting her father's own messaging.
Proud To Support LGBTQ Friends
Presidential adviser Ivanka Trump tweeted a pro-LGBTQ sentiment on Pride Month despite the fact that her father's secondhand-man, Vice President Mike Pence, has been repeatedly accused of supporting gay conversion therapy. A spokesman for Pence said last year that these accusations were false, but his views on the LGBTQ community have been well-documented. He is on the record saying that being gay is a choice, was against repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and declined support the Obama administration directive allowing transgender students to use the bathrooms of their choice.
Highlight Of Her Week
In August of this year, Ivanka sent out a photo of herself sitting in front of a pile of presumably child-written fan mail. She seemed to be bolstering the notion of her own popularity even though her father's approval rating is hovering just below 40 percent.
Historic Day
This tweet is cringe-inducing for two big reasons: the Trump administration's arguably xenophobic actions toward Muslims, such as attempting to ban most travelers from predominantly Muslim countries, and its frequently antiquated attitude toward women, evident at times like when it attempted to allow more employers to deny birth control coverage. Add into the mix the president's "America First" foreign policy statements and you've got quite a doozy for a woman who advises the President of the United States.
Shop Ivanka
Back in July of 2016, Ivanka posted a tweet that promoted her own line of clothes. The outfit promoted was none other than the look she sported while introducing her father at the Republican National Convention.
Principle Of Religious Tolerance
When Ivanka tweeted in February of 2017 that the United States was "built on the principle of religious tolerance," her father was touting a travel ban that explicitly targeted Muslim majority countries. Ivanka's message of unity and tolerance directly opposed the message her father was sending out.
Happy Independence Day
Ivanka's Fourth of July tweet was seemingly benign, except that it completely skirted her father's questionable reputation of patriotism. As Twitter was quick to point out, her father has faced accusations of draft-dodging, making her tweet thanking "those who fight for our freedoms and protect this great nation" nothing short of tone-deaf.
World Refugee Day
When Ivanka tweeted about refugees back in June, many on Twitter were upset at what they interpreted as hypocrisy. Similar in character to her Fourth of July Tweet, it wasn't the content, but the context, that came under scrutiny. Ivanka alleged to "remember the plight & courage" of the world's refugees while remaining silent about her father's previous ban on their entry from seven countries.
Thank You, America
Not only had President Trump frequently bashed The New York Times, but when the paper published a bleak headline about the election, Ivanka took it as congratulations. The headline highlighted three groups of people who were particularly concerned about the negative effects her father's presidency would have: Democrats, students, and foreign allies.
Total Solar Eclipse
Just hours after the announcement that Steve Bannon would be leaving his post at the White House, instead of addressing pressing political matters, Ivanka tweeted about an impending solar eclipse. Bannon had been a polarizing figure during and after the 2016 election, largely because of his work for Breitbart, a far-right news source, but Ivanka seemed more concerned with, well, outer space.
Love And Prayers
As Hurricane Irma geared up to devastate parts of Florida, Ivanka sent out her thoughts and prayers. Some critics said she could have offered more practical advice, such as victim resources.
Date Night Photo
The day after President Trump signed his first travel ban on seven predominantly Muslim countries, protestors gathered at airports around the country to demonstrate. Meanwhile, Ivanka took to social media to share a photo of herself in a fancy dress. Immigrants, refugees, and other travelers, meanwhile, were in a state of panic as countless international travelers were detained in U.S. airports.
Pay Inequality
Ivanka has made paid maternity leave part of her political agenda this year, but that wasn't always the case. In a report published by The New York Times on May 2, 2017, former employees described Ivanka as reluctant to allow maternity leave.
Two World Leaders
In the days after her father was elected, Ivanka said that she wasn't looking for a job in the White House. But several months later, stationed as a presidential adviser, she tweeted a photo of herself sitting in the Oval Office, flanked by two world leaders. Throughout the campaign, she claimed not to be a surrogate for her father.
Difficult Decisions
In the middle of an ongoing controversy surrounding a proposed refugee ban, Ivanka praised her father's order for a military strike on Syria. Critics were quick to point out the hypocrisy of bombing a country while simultaneously refusing to accept its refugees.
Celebrate Women
On International Women's Day, Ivanka seemed to completely ignore the fact that she is an adviser to a president who has, among other things, famously quipped that he endorses grabbing women by their genitals.
Palm Beach
Days after President Trump released the first draft of his budget, which was projected by some to slash aid for low-income Americans, Ivanka tweeted a photo from a sunny Florida vacation. Many Twitter users compared the sentiment to Marie Antoinette's famous "let them eat cake" quote.
Bringing Relief
President Trump has come under fire for his delayed response to the damage wreaked on Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria. Many critics say that aid could have been planted close by and therefore could have arrived much sooner. Instead of fundraising or urging for help, Ivanka simply applauded what has already been done.
Bigotry, Racism, Anti-Semitism
Almost immediately, Twitter users responded to the deep irony behind this message. Ivanka, referencing a massive counter-protest againat a free speech rally in Boston, neglected to realize that many blamed her father and his administration for the need to have organized the event at all.
National Library Week
Ivanka tweeted out support for libraries and librarians during National Library Week, but apparently she hadn't yet read her father's proposed 2018 budget. According to The Hill, the budget at the time proposed a grand total of $0 for the Institute for Library and Museum Services.
Serving Alongside John Kelly
When White House Chief of Staff John Kelly was installed in his position, Ivanka expressed her excitement about working with him. However, critics like Joe Scarborough pointed out that Ivanka is not a politician and therefore should probably not be allowed to be so regularly close to policy makers. Sending out this tweet made it appear that she would not be taking such criticisms under consideration.
If Ivanka Trump was not her father's assistant, what she sends out to the world wouldn't hold nearly as much weight. But since she insists on working so closely with him, she has opened herself up to scrutiny. She seems to want to occupy multiple roles at once — roles that are at odds with each other. But since that isn't currently possible, it might be in her best interest to think twice before she speaks — or tweets — but whether or not she will remains to be seen.
