Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump serves in the White House as an adviser along with her husband Jared Kushner. With the Trump administration’s widely-criticized approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, former CDC officials have recently spoken out and revealed the role Ivanka played in the pandemic response.
Two former officials from the Centers for Disease Control, Kyle McGowan and Amanda Campbell, recently spoke out against the involvement of Ms. Trump in the White House’s response to the pandemic. In a New York Times piece by Noah Weiland, the two former officials revealed that the CDC was often at odds with the White House in terms of establishing guidelines for Americans in the midst of the pandemic. McGowan revealed that the White House was more focused on how the pandemic would affect the economy with guidelines that could keep Americans safe while keeping businesses open. The agency’s primary contact was with Budget Director Russell T. Vought.
McGowan and Campbell were often mediating between the agency’s director Dr. Robert Redfield and other health experts whenever the White House made requests. “Edits from Mr. Vought and Kellyanne Conway, the former White House adviser, on choirs and communion in faith communities, or suggestions from Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, and aide, on schools,” wrote Weiland. Conway and Ms. Trump do not have any practical experience in tackling public health risks such as the pandemic.
“Every time that the science clashed with the messaging, messaging won,” said McGowan. McGowan also revealed that the White House tapped Apple to develop an app that could allow citizens to test themselves for COVID-19 when the CDC already had such an app. The White House also reportedly asked the CDC to erase the app from the agency’s site.
Meanwhile, Ivanka celebrated the end of Hanukkah and shared what appears to be a new family photo taken from their New York home on social media. Ms. Trump shared the photo on her Instagram where many of her followers, including prominent Republican figures like Nikki Haley, praised the family photo. Jared and their two sons, Theodore and Joseph, donned yarmulkes in keeping with the tradition.
“Wishing all who celebrate around the world happiness and peace as they light the final candle of Hanukkah this evening. Keep your ‘light’ shining and be a source of radiance in this world,” wrote Ms. Trump.