First daughter and senior White House advisor Ivanka Trump had strong words for students of Wichita State University and other “cancel culture” spreaders after she was summarily disinvited as WSU’s commencement speaker Saturday.
Wichita State claimed, late last week, that they’d invited Ivanka Trump to give the school’s “virtual commencement” address, but then dropped her after her father, President Donald Trump, threatened to meet protests in Washington, D.C., with military force.
WSU’s associate professor of photo media, Jennifer Ray, issued a letter on behalf of objecting faculty late last week, referencing the alleged use of tear gas by Washington, D.C., Park Police to clear protesters from in front of the White House so that President Trump could walk across the street for a photocall at historic St. John’s Church, according to the New York Post.
The Park Police insists it used smoke bombs, not tear gas, to clear the demonstration but protesters say they discovered empty tear gas canisters near the scene of the incident.
“Ivanka Trump, obviously, represents her father’s administration as one of his closest advisors,” Ray said, in the statement, which has since been deleted. “Too many Americans, that administration has come to signify the worst of our country, particularly in its recent actions toward those peacefully protesting against racist police brutality.”
The school’s administration did not make reference to Trump or her father in their statement on the matter, saying only that, “The WSU Tech commencement plans have been refocused more centrally on students — student voices in particular.”
That didn’t sit well with Ivanka Trump, who took to Twitter to call out the forces of “cancel culture,” particularly on college campuses.
“Our nation’s campuses should be bastions of free speech. Cancel culture and viewpoint discrimination are antithetical to academia,” Trump said. “Listening to one another is important now more than ever!”
“I know that all of these talented graduates will dream big and aspire to make the world a better place!” she added.
Trump had already recorded her commencement address, so she tweeted a YouTube video of the speech, which has also been posted to the official White House website.
Ivanka Trump is, of course, the daughter of President Donald Trump, but aside from that, she’s a mother, one of the youngest senior advisors in White House history, and a successful businesswoman in her own right, having led a multi-million dollar clothing, shoes, and accessories company before entering politics. The Ivanka Trump corporation folded in 2018 after it became difficult for Ivanka to manage both her political position and maintain a hands-off approach to her company.
There have been a number of incidents of censorship in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. In addition to Ivanka Trump’s remarks, organizations have dropped events honoring first responders, and the Washington Post, Saturday, published an op-ed calling for the removal of “cop shows” off of network television. Some programs, like “Live PD” and “Cops,” which feature real-life law enforcement officers filmed as they interact with the public, have gone on hiatus.
The Trump administration has struggled to respond to the protests, though as of Sunday, the White House dropped its push for a more militarized response, likely in light of reports that violence — and, especially, rioting — is quieting down in most major cities, to be replaced by larger, peaceful protests.
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