I Have A Lot Of Questions About Ivanka & Jared’s Viral “I Voted” Photo

On Monday, Ivanka Trump shared what many US voters share before or after they cast their ballots: a picture of her proudly voting in the 2020 presidential election. And from what it appears, Ivanka Trump is just like us: I mean, who among us hasn’t taken a voting selfie while aboard Air Force Once, standing next to the president of the United States, right? 

“I’ll give you one guess who we’re voting for???” Ivanka tweeted, along with a photo of her standing next to her husband, senior advisor to the president Jared Kushner, and her father, who is sitting behind a very important-looking desk, no-doubt doing very important things (read: hate-watching CNN and re-tweeting Neo-Nazis).

But the now-viral photo is much like president Donald Trump’s administration: forced, unsettling, and an ongoing cautionary tale of the dangers of nepotism. The president, his daughter, and in his son-in-law’s alleged smiles appear somewhat painful: as if they were either standing for far too long in order to capture the perfect “normal family” aesthetic, or they were in danger of shedding their human suits and revealing their true form. 

Ivanka’s “I Voted” tweet, like a lot of her social media presence, exists for the sole purpose of legitimising her father, his administration, and her family. And this type of post is now a time-honoured tradition we've come to know and...know on her social channels. When her father’s zero tolerance immigration policy led to the forceful separation of over 5,400 immigrant children (over 500 of whom have yet to be reunited with their parents), Ivanka posted a picture of herself holding her child, their faces touching, with the caption “my <3.”

And while her father rolls back Title IX protections for trans youth, bans trans people from the military, and argues that doctors should be able to refuse health care to LGBTQ+ people under the guise of religious freedom, Ivanka tweeted in “support” of Pride Month, writing, “I am proud to support my LGBTQ friends and the LGBTQ Americans who have made immense contributions to our society and economy.”

Now, once again, Ivanka wants us all to ignore the fact that her father has spent months attacking the legitimacy of mail-in voting. Because look! Ivanka and Jared voted! By mail! They’re just one of the more than 58.6 million Americans who’ve already voted in the 2020 presidential election — nothing to see here, folks! 

So, perhaps before making quips about who we are "guessing" Ivanka and Jared voted for (by mail), the former Favourite Daughter of the White House should perhaps continue what she's done for the majority of Trump's 2020 campaign: take a backseat, maybe keep working on those guitar skills.