Jared and Ivanka take heat for a birthday celebration amidst chaos in D.C.
Image by Getty Images
By David Ian Klein January 11, 2021
While Senate leaders were considering drawing up articles of impeachment, and the Capitol police were still clearing the debris left behind by Wednesday’s mob, the president’s family was receiving flak on Sunday for something they posted to social media. Ivanka Trump, the president’s Jewish daughter, posted a photo to Instagram celebrating the 40th birthday of her husband, Jared Kushner.
The post garnered kind wishes from family and fellow notables in the Trump administration – such as Kimberly Guilfoyle, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Paula White-Cain, chair of President Donald Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Board, who all wished Jared a happy birthday.
However, amid one of the most tumultuous weeks in recent American history, not everyone was so happy for the family.
“Classic self interested people, posting a birthday party while your father has destroyed the Capital (sic) and threatened to overthrow a duly elected president,” wrote one Instagram user.
“Read the room!!! Our nation was attacked because of what your family inspired!” a second person wrote, while another, commented: “An insurrection and a birthday all in one week! Busy busy.”
The president’s daughter was already a target of heavy criticism last week, when in a now-deleted Tweet she referred to the mob that raided the Capitol as “American patriots,” though in the Tweet she also called for a stop to the violence.
She was even criticized by her sister-in-law, supermodel Karlie Kloss who is married to Jared’s younger brother, Joshua. Until this week, the two had largely remained quiet about Jared and Ivanka’s political life.
Accepting the results of a legitimate democratic election is patriotic. Refusing to do so and inciting violence is anti-American.
— Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) January 7, 2021
I’ve tried
— Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) January 7, 2021
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
