There are so many things to worry about and keep us up at night, and this story is not one of them. On a scale of IDGAF to We’re All Going To Die, this story definitely falls more towards IDGAF. It actually reminded me a lot of a British tabloid speculation about royal women, only this story originated in the New York Times and it’s about Ivanka Trump and Melania Trump. Yes, it’s a “palace intrigue” story. You see, the women don’t really like each other. I actually believe Melania thinks Ivanka is creepy, and that Ivanka’s relationship with Donald Trump is creepy, and Melania generally believes she’s better than Ivanka. Ivanka, on the other hand, believes she’s smarter than Melania. Just my take.
Anyway, the NYT claims that there’s been low-key drama between Camp Ivanka and Camp Melania within the White House. It was all about Melania’s taxpayer-funded vacation to Africa, and how Ivanka was jelly that Melania got to use black children as props in her white savior narrative, so Ivanka passive-aggressively used black children as props in HER white savior narrative just days later. You can read the NYT piece here.
When Melania Trump’s chief of staff announced at a staff meeting months ago that the first lady would be traveling to Africa for her first solo journey abroad, aides to Ivanka Trump, her stepdaughter, sent back a message: She was planning her own trip to Africa but just hadn’t announced it yet. Mrs. Trump spent five days last month in Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt, a trip that generated mostly positive coverage, topped off with a glossy network special. And soon the president’s eldest daughter and senior adviser will follow suit, traveling to Africa with Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of the president’s most loyal defenders.
…The first lady’s office had asked West Wing officials to give her some space while she was in Africa so she could showcase the work she was doing, according to two people briefed on the discussion. There were widely distributed photographs of Mrs. Trump at several of the stops, including Accra, Ghana, where she was pictured cradling a small child. But two days later, Ivanka Trump posted on her Instagram feed a video filmed by the White House team that had a final image of her with a black child during a tour of storm-struck North Carolina.
Someone in the West Wing noticed it, and flagged it for the White House chief of staff, John F. Kelly, who has privately described the Trump children as “playing government” and who was supposed to help manage the relationship between the two women’s offices, according to two people familiar with the conversation. Mr. Kelly discussed the video with Ms. Trump’s staff, according to two people familiar with the talks. A White House official disputed that Mr. Kelly had such a discussion.
As for Ivanka Trump’s pending trip to Africa, White House aides said that Mr. Graham first invited her several months ago, but she had rescheduled it to accommodate the first lady’s and one taken by the secretary of state. People familiar with the trip said that Bill Shine, the White House communications director, has been helping shape coverage of the visit. Like the first lady’s, it may also include a network special.
My reading is that Ivanka was SO MAD that Melania announced her trip to Africa first and then Ivanka wanted everyone to know that she was planning to go to Africa BEFORE Melania but she would postpone it so poor Mel could have her moment with the African props. Then Ivanka seethed with jealousy as Melania looked like an extra from Raiders of the Lost Ark, happily posing in her colonialist safari gear and smiling at black children. Ivanka wanted to use black children as props BEFORE MELANIA! So Ivanka passive-aggressively posted the video on social media (below) where she got to use black kids as props, and now she’s letting everyone know that she’s going to baby-whisper her way through lots and lots of interviews when she’s is Africa, okay??? These people are ALL TRASH.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Instagram.
that baby’s face is like “this b*tch stank” or “if this b*tch dont get off me”. i love it.
He’s totally giving her a “Get off me!” vibe.
“On a scale of IDGAF to We’re All Going To Die…” This is the funniest thing I have read all year.
I wish that baby threw up on her.
They’re both trash.
All I care about right at this moment is how freaking adorable that baby is! I want to give him such a squeeze right now! Look at that wee face!!!
I am in such agreement. Hate all trumps (except babies), love all babies. I WANT TO NOM HIS/HER DARLING LITTLE FACE!!!!
“I actually believe Melania thinks Ivanka is creepy, and that Ivanka’s relationship with Donald Trump is creepy, and Melania generally believes she’s better than Ivanka. Ivanka, on the other hand, believes she’s smarter than Melania.”
No reason they can’t both be right…
hahahahha. also, great headline.
Now you know as well as I do that Melania would literally do ANYTHING ELSE than be forced to touch a Black or brown person. >_>
Nah, I think she’s fine with it, as long as they are children.
With kids, even the African ones, is the only time she genuinely smiles.
And I do believe Ivanka is smarter than Melania, and also more (self-)aware, but consequently also more calculating and evil. Melania is more of an enabler, while Ivanka is full-blown guilty.
The black children as props thing is real. I was always grossed out how even in my supposedly super-aware spiritual community the members loved to be sure to get the photo ops of black visitors and especially ops of black kids with the teacher. It wasn’t bad intent, just a liberal desire to show inclusivity and that the group attracted different races and cultures. But it felt weird and wrong to me. Props is a good word. See the same damn thing at my Congressman’s town halls.
Nagini was plotting this trip before John McCain died; that’s why she was in Graham’s office when he “invited” her to the funeral. Kelly should not be wasted one second of his taxpayer funded time on this, nor should Bill Shine. It is illegal for Nagini to have a West Wing office, taxpayer funded staff, taxpayer funded trips or taxpayer funded coverage of those trips. And we all need to let Congress & the White House know that we are fed up. First Daughter is not a thing.
This is some next-level sickola stuff right here.
When Melania visited a charter school in D.C. a few weeks ago there were pictures that went viral showing that the black girls in the photo were super unimpressed with Melania. None of them were smiling and you could tell they knew this was nothing more than a photo op.
None of the people in any of the African countries she visited looked impressed by her either. Ivanka will be no different. People aren’t stupid – they see this as the pandering that it is.
Maybe they will get along better when they are forced to share a prison cell?
All garbage people and vipers
Why the f is Graham going to Africa??
Why do they always go to Africa? Why not Europe? There is poverty everywhere.
Hell, Melania should know.
What about Eastern European children? Sniffing glue to numb hunger pains.
Or why not Appalachia? Lord knows there is generational poverty there.
Politicians and their wives do anything for a “good” headline. So let’s analyse this in terms of what message is send out when holding a black / white / US / foreign kid.
Problem with holding white US-kids is that it points out the US President’s failing attempts to revive the economy and to eliminate child poverty and such.
Holding black foreign kids sends the message that one is charitable. Therefore it has to be a black foreign kid.
It is absolutely cynical and I am disgusted. But it is what it is.
Furthermore the Trumps likely use such little events to get people talking about “black babykissing” in order to distract them from more important issues.
Wow, white people, music and professional editing! Way to go, Complicit Barbie!!!
Princess Nagini was always going to have an issue with whomever he was married to (except her mother). Given the way he paws at her and the way she plays to that to get what she wants from him then its no stretch to say that she doesn’t like competition for Daddy’s affections.