As her father escalated the rhetoric surrounding North Korea, first daughter Ivanka Trump took to Instagram on Wednesday to regram a young woman's photo of her book Women Who Work: Rewriting The Rules For Success, along with a thank you note.
Though some saw Trump's post as a calculated diversion, 19-year-old Gabrielle Seunagal, the writer who posted the original 'gram, told Refinery29 she doesn't believe Trump was trying to shift attention away from the North Korea news. In fact, Seunagal believes there shouldn't be a microscope on what the first daughter shares online because she has "more power and influence [in the White House] than she does on social media."
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A White House official told Refinery29 that Trump shared the picture because Wednesday was National Book Lovers Day, and she found Seunagal's post to be meaningful. They added that all the Women Who Work royalties go to charity, implying that any sales won't financially benefit the first daughter.
Seunagal told Refinery29 she was grateful Trump reposted her picture. The Detroit-based freelance writer, who identifies as a libertarian conservative, said, "I'm glad I was able to get my voice out there in a sea of people who are just slamming the book."
Even though Women Who Work debuted as a bestseller, the criticism has been harsh. The self-help book was called "a strawberry milkshake of inspirational quotes," and some argue it doesn't address the obstacles related to race, gender, and socioeconomic class that many women face. Others argued that “women don’t need Ivanka Trump’s fortune-cookie feminism.”
Seunagal believes the criticism is misplaced and stems from jealousy. This point of view is shared by many conservative women who believe critics of Trump punish her for being the daughter of the president, not because her apparent lack of action on issues such as LGBTQ rights or climate change.
"I think people say, 'Oh, because she’s wealthy she’s not qualified to talk about women who work,'" said Seunagal. "If anything, I think her experience and her well-roundness makes her more qualified than most people to write a book and share what she knows."
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If her web presence shows anything, it's that Seunagal works hard at what she does. Her Instagram is peppered with screenshots of her YouTube channel, where her vlogs range from political commentary to movie reviews; she has had bylines in several conservative outlets; and her Twitter is a mix of politics and posts about how hustling will help her career.
Trump's book, which Seunagal said she's reading for the second time, has been a source of inspiration as she builds her career in writing and content creation.
"I really like how she promoted the importance of passion, of really believing in what you do, and how when you're willing to work hard and you truly enjoy what you do, that's what allows you to compete and be successful," Seunagal said. "That's something I can personally relate to."
She added, "To see Ivanka where she is is very inspirational to me."
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