First Daughter Ivanka Trump has come under fire after a Twitter post where she referred to the violent protesters who breached the US Capitol building on Wednesday evening as “American Patriots”, albeit urging them to refrain from violence.
In a now-deleted tweet, posted as a violent mob stormed the Capitol building, disrupting the process of the Electoral Vote certification carried out by a joint session of Congress, the president’s eldest daughter and White House adviser said:
“American patriots – any security breach or disrespect to our law enforcement is unacceptable. The violence must stop immediately. Please be peaceful.”
Ivanka Trump hurriedly backtracked on the comment and deleted the tweet.
As critics questioned the First Daughter’s use of the term “patriots” in reference to the protesters, many emphasised she had stopped short of urging them to abandon their siege of the US Capitol building.
White House correspondent April Ryan derided the president’s daughter as “complicit” in the violence unfolding in the Capitol.
However, other comments on social media offered a different take, as comparisons were made with the violent actions of Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters.
In response to all the censure, Ivanka Trump clarified that “peaceful protest is patriotic”, and has since not tweeted.