— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) January 29, 2017
On Friday evening, President Trump signed an executive order to temporarily bar the citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States and immediately halt to the U.S. refugee program for four months — with Syrian refugees barred indefinitely. By Saturday, protests had erupted at international airports across the nation, calling for the release of people being detained because of the executive order.
Amid the chaos and unrest, Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, a senior White House adviser, were getting ready for a night out on the town in black tie apparel.
Late Saturday night, a judge blocked the deportations.
And late Saturday night, the Trump-Kushner couple tweeted a photo of themselves, pictured above, all dolled up and ready for a night out.
Who wore it better? @IvankaTrump pic.twitter.com/I5ab22nLNx
— Geoff Crawley (@VoiceOfThePhan) January 29, 2017
It was the tweet seemingly heard around the world, as people immediately took to social media to decry the fact that Trump and her husband showed off fancy attire while the lives and security of refugees were in question, with a mounting number of Americans filling every nook and cranny at airports to protest the detention and deportation of refugees.
It also didn’t help that Ivanka’s dress, reportedly $5000, was metallic silver jacquard.
@IvankaTrump she wore it better pic.twitter.com/w2m7EsajTp
— cx cope (@cxcope) January 29, 2017
.@IvankaTrump Perhaps @MerriamWebster should define "cognitive dissonance." pic.twitter.com/xjuiWpSA8W
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) January 29, 2017
"Let them eat cake!"
Amirite @IvankaTrump?
????#LordHelpUsAll
— yvette nicole brown (@YNB) January 29, 2017
@amjoyshow @IvankaTrump It reminds me of when Germans danced to Richard Wagner and went to concerts as Jews were led into gas chambers.
— Katie (@wrennywrenn) January 29, 2017
.@IvankaTrump posts pic last night of her attending a gala while the country explodes in protests!!!! #Oligarchy #TrumpGaslight #RESIST✊????✊???? pic.twitter.com/28eKoNzR4i
— DanielleMoodie-Mills (@DeeTwoCents) January 29, 2017
@IvankaTrump Refugees who sold their belongings and were told they'd be welcome are turned around at U.S. border: https://t.co/EP42ZgtlRW
— John Green (@johngreen) January 29, 2017
@IvankaTrump Your father is responsible for two senior citizens with green cards being illegally detained at O'Hare for 10 hours.Have fun!
— Cher (@thecherness) January 29, 2017
.@IvankaTrump But, you know.
Enjoy your party or whatever.
Looks fancy.
— Mike Satcher (@satchmoagain) January 29, 2017
@IvankaTrump Oh, good, the world is burning and families are being torn apart, but you're decked out in tin foil. Cool. #MuslimBan
— Christopher Ehlers (@_ChrisEhlers) January 29, 2017
Quickly, the hashtag #lethemeatcake popped up on social media, as people compared Ivanka Trump — and by association, the entire Trump family — to Marie Antoinette.
Antoinette, while married to French King Louis XVI, is associated with the phrase “Let them eat cake!” in relation to her supposed reaction upon hearing about the struggles of the people of France, including a food shortage that left many families without staples like bread.
The open question on social media was the following: Could Trump be so deep in a rarefied bubble that tweeting a photo of herself and her husband before a black tie event wearing a $5,000 evening gown seemed like an appropriate message while the country was embroiled in protests over the rights of immigrants and the safety and well-being of refugees?
What do you think? Tell us in the comments, below.
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