Sure, Melania Trump may be the First Lady, but there’s another woman in the White House whose influence rivals hers. No, we don’t mean Kellyanne Conway—we’re talking about First Daughter Ivanka Trump. As the assistant to the President and one of her father’s most visible surrogates, Ivanka has repeatedly stated that she wants to use her status to advance a pro-women agenda. But the administration’s actions—and her refusal to denounce them—seem to tell a different story. Since 2017 has been a year of activism and #resistance, it should come as no surprise that plenty of prominent women have spoken out against Ivanka and her complicit nature. Here, 14 women share their thoughts:
Scarlett Johansson
On Ivanka’s CBS interview with Gayle King: “It was really baffling. You can’t have it both ways, right? If you take a job as a public advocate, then you must advocate publicly, right? Yesterday she said something I found particularly disappointing, which was that the biggest influence she would have would actually be behind closed doors—nobody would actually know that she had made this change. And I thought to myself, Well, that’s empowering. How old-fashioned! This idea that behind a great man is a great woman. What about being in front of that person, or next to that person, or standing on your own? It’s such an old-fashioned concept that to be this powerful woman, you can’t appear to be concerned with that someone’s going to think you’re ‘bitchy.’ I think powerful women often get concerned with this idea that they’re going to be seen in this unforgiving light. Screw that! It’s so old-fashioned, and so uninspired and actually really cowardly…She has an opportunity to really make a big impact just by being vocal…She’s very well spoken, smart and intelligent woman and engaging. It baffles me.” —At the Women in the World Summit, April 2017
Helen Mirren
“[Ivanka] talks a good game, but there’s no substance. Her book is so ignorant about how the majority of women live, talking about ‘Make time for yourself to have a massage.’ Puh-lease.” —In Allure, September 2017
Chelsea Handler
“The idea that Ivanka is going to help women, or do anything for women, is absurd, because she’s a puppet. They’re all his puppets. They’re scared s—less of him, and the fact that they’re still around him means they have never stood up to him.” —In Variety, January 2017
Jenny Slate
I think that Ivanka Trump is a fake feminist who will go down in history as someone who really betrayed human beings and who should be ashamed of herself. I’m ashamed of her. I think she’s really gross and her husband [Jared Kushner] as well. —In The Guardian, June 2017
Cecile Richards
On meeting with Ivanka: “I talked to her. I told her what we did…..For a lot of women and a lot of young people, we are there only health care provider. So far, the White House has been a total zero on women and women’s health. I think Ivanka’s job now is she’s in charge of all women’s issues. This is time to step up.”—During an appearance on Netflix’s Chelsea, June 2017
Sarah Silverman
“I saw she follows me on Twitter and I direct messaged her. I was like, ‘This is your chance. You are writing your life story here.'” —During an appearance on Netflix’s Chelsea, June 2017
Samantha Bee
“I’m gonna give you my honest answer…It’s gonna ruin everyone’s night…I think maybe our first female president might be Ivanka Trump.” —In conversation with Ana Gasteyer at the New York Comedy Festival, November 2017
Cara Delevingne, Olivia Wilde, Amy Schumer, Alexa Chung
On her father’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program: “Dear Ivanka, I see you’re following me on Instagram. This Thanksgiving I would be grateful if you use the influence you have to advocate for a CLEAN Dream Act by December. Every day that passes without a clean Dream Act means anxiety and deportation for immigrant youth. 7,901 youth have already lost DACA and 122 more will use it each day. Thank you and Happy Holidays.” —All shared via Instagram, November 2017
Chrissy Teigen
On the grammar of her tweet, “Cuddling my little nephew Luke… the best part of an otherwise incredible day!”: “Otherwise’ implies you did not like hangin with this baby…Overall, is the word.”—On Twitter, September 2017
Debra Messing
“Ivanka, girlfriend, what are you doing? It’s not enough to simply say that women’s issues are important to you. It’s time to do something. Ivanka, you can change the lives of millions of women and children just by telling your dad stories about real people who are suffering. Don’t let him separate immigrant mothers from their American-born children. Don’t let him take health care away from women who need. Please stop blindly defending your father and start defending you say you believe in. You can’t just write #WomenWhoWork and think you’re advancing feminism. The country wants to support you. As a bonus, if you get Steve Bannon out of your dad’s office, I bet we’ll put you back in Nordstrom’s.”—At the GLAAD Media Awards, April 2017
Tilda Swinton
On how Ivanka inspired her role in the Netflix series Okja: “When we shot in New York last summer, I stood watching the Republican convention on the television in our lunch break dressed as Lucy, watching a different daughter of a different dubious dynasty addressing, from a high podium, a big crowd, with glossy blond hair, expensive orthodontics, and modeling her Barbie-perfect modest pink dress (concurrently on sale online). Chicken? Egg?” —In the Wrap, May 2017
What makes these opinions all the more striking? How much 2017’s sentiment differs from the perception of Ivanka just a few short years ago. Just consider these few examples:
Meghan Markle
“Let’s take a moment and discuss Ivanka Trump. Staggeringly beautiful, no question, but so incredibly savvy and intelligent that she’s not just carved a niche for herself under her father’s famed Trump notoriety, she has undoubtedly created her own empire.…It’s so easy to knock the girls who come from privilege—to assume they rested on their laurels and garnered accolades simply by being fancy from the womb. But I remember Ivanka being different.”—In a Q+A on her former lifestyle blog The TIG, September 2014
Chrissy Teigen
“First of all, I think Ivanka seems like an incredibly wonderful businesswoman and mother. She has enviable poise and grace in a very difficult position. But I’ll say this: I love my dad to death. But holy shit, I would not advise you to vote for him for president. Ron Teigen Sr. and Donald Trump Sr. both have matching political qualifications: zero. Many (most) of Ivanka’s ideals are the platform of the democratic party… Regardless, I think Ivanka should probably run for office one day.”—In an interview with Glamour, September 2016
Who knows? Maybe 2018 will be the year Ivanka restores her personal brand.
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