Ivanka Trump, 38, is facing backlash after she admitted to playing board games and learning guitar during her time at home with her family during the COVID-19 crisis, at a recent campaign appearance. The oldest daughter and senior advisor to President Donald Trump, 74, was participating in a question and answer session about the pandemic and other issues near Grand Rapids, Michigan on Oct. 20, and was discussing how she’s been coping when the admission came up. “For a lot of us … during this pandemic, we’ve reconnected to some of life’s simple pleasures,” she said. “Board games, for example. We’ve dusted off all of ours, for sure.”
She then went on to reveal she’s been getting in the habit of playing guitar during her time alone. “I took up playing guitar, because my husband was working very late nights,” she explained. “I’d come home, after I’d put the kids to bed and after I went back online and finished my work, I’d be sitting there, and so I taught myself — or am teaching myself — how to play guitar.”
Although Ivanka seemed to be trying to point out the positive things about being in quarantine, she received a lot of negative responses from Twitter users who criticized her for not taking the pandemic seriously. “She is so fortunate not to have to worry about paying bills, or finding medical care for her family, or worrying whether it’s safe to ride public transportation to that job that she needs to keep her family afloat. This is so tone deaf,” one follower wrote.
“Isn’t that nice! People are worried about paying the bills, feeding their family, getting laid off, getting sick, fighting for unemployment, waiting in lines for food, teaching their kids at home, etc.” another follower pointed out, while a third added, “Other people are going to bed sick to their stomach every night not knowing how to feed their children and pay their mortgage. But I’m glad you’re “enjoying” this pandemic.”
The backlash Ivanka is facing comes after a reported 8 million people have been infected with COVID-19 in the U.S. and 220,000 killed since earlier this year. The virus has been one of the defining issues in the presidential election between Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, 77. While Biden and other Democrats have criticized the way Trump’s been handling the issue, Trump has been blaming China, where the virus started, and insists he’s been doing a good job in keeping the country safe by putting early travel bans into effect and working on getting more ventilators and vaccines.
In a survey about the pandemic, HollywoodLife readers revealed their biggest fears and how the effects of the virus have changed their lives the most. 26% of respondents said their income has been affected either through work hours being reduced, pay cuts, or furloughs. 70% of our respondents working remotely fear going back to their work site, and 75% who are students, fear going back to in-person school.