Ivanka Trump has the best ideas, if Donald Trump has the best language. And it turns out that one of her father’s most iconic photo ops—tear-gassing a bunch of peaceful protestors so he could stroll across the street from the White House and stand in front of the historic St. John’s Church holding up a Bible—was also all Ivanka’s doing. At least, that’s what Mark Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff, claims in his new book.
According to Vanity Fair’s Bess Levin, whenever the former president made some of his most egregious errors, Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner—dubbed the “Slim Reaper” for his propensity to transform practically anything he touched into an utter shambles—were frequently present to orchestrate the disaster. This includes the president’s profane church selfie, in which he just stood outside the church without peering inside (possibly out of fear that he might explode into a ball of hellfire). As Levin puts it:
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ book, according to the Religious News Service, provides a “full account” of the 45th president’s “infamous Bible photo op at St. John’s Church in June 2020,” which was purportedly Ivanka’s idea. For those who need a refresher, in June 2020, at the height of racial-justice protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, Trump had peaceful protesters tear-gassed so he could make his way to the nearby St. John’s church, concerned about media coverage of his retreat to a White House bunker. He posed for photos while holding up a Bible and assuring reporters, “We have a magnificent country,” and promised to “make it even greater, and it won’t take long.”
If either Trump, the blonde or the orange, thought this would bring peace to the world, they couldn’t have been more wrong. “The Bible tells us to love God and our neighbor; that all individuals are beloved children of God; that we are to do justice and love compassion,” Mariann Budde, the diocesan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, tweeted. Our sacred scripture was utilized as a symbol of division by the President.”
“I’ve never been more ashamed,” said an unidentified senior White House official who observed peaceful protestors being tear-gassed so Trump and his buddies could get to the church. I’m disgusted to say the least. I’m feeling nauseous. And they’re all happy about it. They’re quite pleased with themselves.”
Ivanka has yet to say what role she played in the photo blunder that went viral. But, given that she refused to let the Secret Service assigned to protect her and her family use any of their SIX bathrooms, instead forcing them to rent a toilet for $3,000 per month (a fee we taxpayers paid, of course), it’s difficult to believe she’d see anything wrong with it. Even with the benefit of hindsight.
