On Monday, Ivanka Trump toured a job-training and science facility in Waukee, Iowa, in order to promote the president's infrastructure plan, which was released in February. The plan includes funding for federal job-training programs.
As part of her tour, she participated in a series of experiments, like measuring the nicotine content of "vape juice" in an electronic cigarette.
"This is so amazing. This is such a cool place to come," Trump said, according to Business Insider. "It's going to be hard to get rid of us."
She tweeted a photo of herself in safety goggles, a lab coat, and gloves. "I can't promise that I'll get this right, but at least we'll look the part, right?" she said.
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Talking #WorkforceDevelopment and Infrastructure in Iowa today! @realDonaldTrump’s #Infrastructure initiative includes a robust plan to expand skills-focused learning to prepare the next generation of American workers for 21st century job opportunities. pic.twitter.com/10md8d5tnz
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) March 19, 2018
Twitter roasted Ivanka for "cosplaying" as a scientist.
Hey @IvankaTrump it's great that you like to cosplay as a scientist on Instagram but some of us are an #ActualLivingScientist. Tell us about what you're doing in this picture. I'm making a battery. #ILookLikeAnEngineer pic.twitter.com/fW5CFxLYAF
— Holly aka Leia ? (@absolutspacegrl) March 20, 2018
"Hey @IvankaTrump it's great that you like to cosplay as a scientist on Instagram but some of us are an #ActualLivingScientist. Tell us about what you're doing in this picture. I'm making a battery. #ILookLikeAnEngineer," a NASA engineer wrote.
Others felt the photo was begging to be meme-ified.
Ok, here’s my meme; I hope everyone looks at it, cause I’d love some opinions. There was so damned much material to choose from. pic.twitter.com/Ko2XSUWI4H
— never claimed i was funny (@veronicamariez2) March 20, 2018
Cosplaying aside, these photos seem even stranger when you think about the Trump administration's hostile stance toward science. The administration has pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord, and has been skeptical about climate change despite all scientific evidence to the contrary. Paying lip service to "science" in this way is similar to tweeting about #TimesUp but not doing a thing about it.
This isn't the first time Ivanka has caught flak for not exactly knowing what she's talking about. She was booed at the W20 Summit in Berlin last April, where she was invited by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. There, she called the president "a tremendous champion of supporting families and enabling them to thrive" while talking about paid family leave, to which many objected.
Ivanka entered her White House senior adviser role with zero political experience, having spent most of her career on her fashion and accessories line. In Michael Wolff's explosive book Fire and Fury, Steve Bannon said the following about her intelligence: "She became a White House staffer and that's when people suddenly realized she's as dumb as a brick. A little marketing savvy and has a look but as far as understanding actually how the world works and what politics is and what it means — nothing. Once you expose that, you lose such credibility."
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