Ivanka Trump has found herself in a hole – and she just keeps digging.

On Saturday night, the President’s daughter and senior advisor spoke at the annual Gridiron Dinner, a yearly celebration for politicians and journalists that usually takes on a lighthearted note, much like the more-famous White House Correspondents’ Dinner. During her speech, Trump referenced the recent backlash she received for suggesting most Americans don’t support Sen. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez‘s Green New Deal, which includes increasing the minimum wage. “I don’t think most Americans, in their heart, want to be given something,” the First Daughter said in an interview with Fox News. “People want to work for what they get.”

Initially, Trump’s comments were met with heavy criticism by news outlets and fellow politicians, who scoffed at Trump’s claim to understand “most Americans” given her extreme privilege. Ocasio-Cortez herself fired back via Twitter, noting that she would know better “as a person who actually worked for tips and hourly wages in my life.”

When addressing the criticism at Saturday’s dinner, Trump tried to make light of the situation. “The press seems to think it’s ironic that I, born of great privilege, think people want to work for what they are given,” she said. “As if being Donald Trump’s daughter isn’t the hardest job in the world.” Eep, wrong thing to say. 

Once again, Trump’s words have many people questioning whether the daughter of billionaire could ever really understand the American people. In a Last Week Tonight segment, comedian John Oliver spoke directly to Trump and reminded her that she hasn’t worked hard at all. “You only became an executive vice president of the Trump Organization at 24 because you’re Donald Trump’s daughter, not because you are a 24-year-old business prodigy,” he said. “You only got a book deal because you’re Donald Trump’s daughter, not because you’re a brilliant author and wordsmith. And you only hosted the Miss Teen USA pageant because your Dad owned the contest, not because of your sparkling on-camera presence.”

Trump has yet to respond to criticism over her comment.

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Yael Turitz

Article by Yael Turitz

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