Ivanka Trump appeared to break with her father, President Donald Trump, in a conversation with Axios 360 on Thursday.
She called her father's policy of separating immigrant families "a low point" and insisted that she was "very vehemently against it."
.@IvankaTrump: "That was a low point for me as well. I feel very strongly about that. I am very vehemently against… https://t.co/4mFLO9TzRu— CSPAN (@CSPAN) 1533215830.0
After her remarks, a familiar frustration with the president's eldest daughter began to reemerge: If she was so against this policy, why didn't she do more to rally against it?
Though it's been reported she advised against the zero tolerance policy in private, she did not publicly come out against it until after her father begrudgingly signed an executive order abolishing it in June.
Even then, she praised her father for lifting it without mentioning that his administration mandated it in the first place.
Thank you @POTUS for taking critical action ending family separation at our border. Congress must now act + find a… https://t.co/U4o4mVh75r— Ivanka Trump (@Ivanka Trump) 1529522938.0
Americans on social media weren't going to let her off easy.
@axios “But I won’t lift a finger to stop it or to reunite families”— Kathleen O’Brien Morrissey🍀🍑🆘 (@Kathleen O’Brien Morrissey🍀🍑🆘) 1533215170.0
@CNN ...and wht did she do abt it?,...Nonsense !— 🇬🇭🇺🇸🇨🇦Mr Kwadwo Asiedu (@🇬🇭🇺🇸🇨🇦Mr Kwadwo Asiedu) 1533217368.0
@CNN Hmmm. If only she had some influence over someone important in the administration. 🤔— MartinAmerica (@MartinAmerica) 1533217604.0
@abbydphillip @betsy_klein So she protested by....continuing to come in to “work” and support the policy and the admin. Uh huh.— Eric Schmeltzer 🇺🇸 (@Eric Schmeltzer 🇺🇸) 1533216284.0
Others criticized that she referred to the policy as though its effects were over, when in fact, at least 650 children remain separated from their parents.
Ivanka describing that family separation "was a low point" when hundreds of families are still separated is kind of… https://t.co/IFWE4gMIIy— Peter Labuza (@Peter Labuza) 1533217435.0
@thehill “Was” ? Hundreds of children remain in cages today. #ReuniteFamiliesNow— Teresa Harris (@Teresa Harris) 1533218037.0
@CNN "Was"? IT'S STILL HAPPENING @IvankaTrump— JMo (@JMo) 1533217744.0
Ivanka Trump has a history of appearing tone-deaf in efforts to straddle both sides of a fence that, for many since her father's election, no longer separates political ideologies, but moral ones.
On International Women's Day in March, Ivanka Trump tweeted a message of support to women across the world.
Normally, a stance promoting gender equity wouldn't draw criticism, but when one's father brags about sexually assaulting women, compares women to animals, criticizes their looks, and furthers his reputation as a known misogynist, the waters become muddied.
Today we come together in recognition of women at home & around the globe. We celebrate women’s achievements, past… https://t.co/15nT1rysDm— Ivanka Trump (@Ivanka Trump) 1520511762.0
And as with her family separation statements, the hypocrisy didn't go unnoticed:
@IvankaTrump Your #Complicit attitude with @realDonaldTrump along with the fact that you’ve never had to work for a… https://t.co/2k9dRrmHp4— The Shadowy Id (@The Shadowy Id) 1520544038.0
@IvankaTrump It is inappropriate for you to speak on female empowerment. As a woman, I am offended you would even… https://t.co/GtRcHt4RG7— KapitalistKonsquence (@KapitalistKonsquence) 1520543664.0
@IvankaTrump Just like your dad does? https://t.co/PmXFfBkUBR— MizFrizz ❄ (@MizFrizz ❄) 1520553360.0
When her father made moves to ban transgender soldiers from serving in the United States military, Twitter users referenced Ivanka Trump's pro-LGBTQ tweet from the month before:
I am proud to support my LGBTQ friends and the LGBTQ Americans who have made immense contributions to our society and economy.— Ivanka Trump (@Ivanka Trump) 1496366555.0
Users told Ivanka that it was time to step up:
Hey Ivanka, James here. Hope all is good, quick question, can you... Erm... Call your dad and have a talk. X https://t.co/yiiL89J3Ap— James Corden (@James Corden) 1501080333.0
Your father is trying to keep trans folk from making immense contributions to our society and economy. You want to… https://t.co/v5mv5kVMLt— Muppet Family Chanukah (@Muppet Family Chanukah) 1501076323.0
Though her tweet was all well and good before the ban, her silence after it made the bigger--and more damaging--impression.
While the president's daughter leaps to take favorable public stances when it's convenient, most seem to think that until she takes a more effective stand, it's her silence that will characterize her to history.