Ivanka Trump, 38, landed herself a new nickname after revealing Donald Trump’s executive order to revamp the federal hiring process: Nepotism Barbie. The executive order, which the POTUS signed on June 27, will require federal agencies to prioritize skills over a college degree. The announcement from the president’s senior advisor was met with skepticism, however, given that Ivanka’s boss is her dad!
Today, President @realDonaldTrump will sign an executive order to transform the federal hiring process—and replace one-size-fits-all, degree-based hiring with skills-based hiring.
More from @IvankaTrump: pic.twitter.com/W8xhiyCRBy
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 26, 2020
“President Trump has always been a champion for the American worker and ensuring that nobody is forgotten or left behind. It’s part of why through the pledge to American workers he’s focused on skills training and enhanced career opportunity in a private sector-led approach,” Ivanka happily announced in a video, shared to The White House’s Twitter account on Friday.
“So far we’ve secured over 16 million private sector commitments towards this initiative and today again he’s going to lead by example and overhaul the way the federal government hires,” Ivanka continued. “As the country’s largest employer it’s incredibly important to him that he fills federal job vacancies based on people having the skill, the passion, the drive, the competency to do the job — not purely based on outdated career or licensure requirements.”
Moving our hiring focus to skills, not outdated degree requirements, "will allow us to better recognize the talents and competencies of all Americans we hire," @IvankaTrump says. pic.twitter.com/dufVDphwzq
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 26, 2020
In a press conference, Trump elaborated on what he meant by “skills-based hiring” versus “degree-based hiring”: “The federal government will no longer be narrowly focused on where you went to school, but the skills and the talents that you bring to the job, we want that skill to be there.” This means people “with apprenticeships, technical training, and apt backgrounds will have greater opportunity,” The White House’s website further explained.
People thought that Ivanka wasn’t exactly the best choice to boast of “skills-based hiring,” given her family ties. “1) We are making the federal hiring process better. 2) Here, to describe the process, is someone who got a federal job because of who her father is. #NepotismBarbie,” one person tweeted, while someone else wrote, “Too bad skills- based hiring wasn’t in place when you and [Ivanka’s husband] Jared [Kushner] got your positions…#NepotismBarbie @IvankaTrump.” A third person simply tweeted, “Oh, the irony…… #NepotismBarbie.” Someone even took the time to create a Nepotism Barbie meme, as you can see below.
https://twitter.com/Impeach_Cheeto/status/1276586941736075264
Some people weren’t happy to see Ivanka tied to Barbie dolls. “#NepotismBarbie is an insult to Barbies everywhere. Barbie is educated; she’s a doctor, she’s a lawyer, she’s a pilot, and she worked for that damn Malibu dream house. Oh and her clothes are better. Bye Ivankkka,” one such person tweeted. This isn’t the first time Ivanka has been given a creative new name! She was also considered a modern-day Marie Antoinette after complaining of “cancel culture.”