Jared Kushner Sparks Controversy With Comments About Black Americans
Jared Kushner came under fire on Monday for his commentary about Black voters who oppose President [...]
Kushner's Accomplishments
You have to hand it to Jared Kushner, because that's the only way he's ever achieved or accomplished anything his whole life.
— Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) October 26, 2020
🤦🏽♀️
— GMK (@nurseratched68) October 26, 2020
Many users thought that Kushner's comments were ironically revealing, since he himself owes much of his success to his father-in-law. Even then, they argued, his success has been mixed at best.
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When they go into full race mode, are they really that cluelessly dispassionate, or are they knowingly distracting from something worse? https://t.co/9ssOtwiymw
— 1Table&aStudyGroup (@studygrouptable) October 26, 2020
Some users feared that Kushner's overt racist rhetoric was a sign that the Trump administration had something else to hide. Many believe that Trump uses inflammatory stories to bury other news stories, and some guessed that that was the case here.
prevnextNepotism
Jared Kushner is the face of white privilege and nepotism. He doesn't want to change our racist, broken system because he benefits from it.
He’s the last person that should be lecturing the Black community on the value of “hard work.” https://t.co/KyuTgPZv9a
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) October 26, 2020
The only reason Jared Kushner has his job is because his father-in-law is president. By voting Trump out of office, you are also voting this ignorant man who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth out of the White House. https://t.co/bqyHWYAdqz
— Stand Up America (@StandUpAmerica) October 26, 2020
Critics pointed out that Kusnher has benefited greatly from the policies he was espousing — and from his familial link to Trump. They questioned why Kushner would be taken as an objective voice since he reaps the rewards of the existent system.
prevnextShame
Wow, how much Koolaid has @jaredkushner imbibed? Family loyalty is to be admired, but really? This is basically saying it's the media and lazy black people's fault. Shame on you! https://t.co/0k3gThGev2
— Alan Cumming (@Alancumming) October 26, 2020
Jared Kushner speaks as if Black people are lazy complainers who don't want to be successful. This blatant DISRESPECT shows he has NO understanding of the Black community and its challenges that have spanned centuries. You can't "fix" these problems from this level of ego. pic.twitter.com/fmILMVbrzY
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) October 26, 2020
Kushner's words were so surprising that some assumed that the whole world would respond to them in the same way. They tried to shame the White House adviser for the extreme rhetoric.
prevnextOther Examples
He sounds like Candace Owens.
— AriLoki (@arilochi) October 26, 2020
She's their black American speaker....... who doesn't identify as a black American. Blames pic.twitter.com/dC18fap4Ze
Commenters seized on this moment to point out other instances of over-the-top rhetoric from the Trump administration or sympathetic public figures. This selection included a recent comment from Candace Owens.
prevnextLoss
Closing message of "People crying after watching a human being slowly killed on camera were faking it for likes" is another interesting move https://t.co/7h7cLqsy0K
— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) October 26, 2020
Some users tried to lead the conversation away from Kushner and towards the people he spoke insensitively about — Black Americans who lost loved ones to police violence, such as the family of George Floyd. They questioned how Kushner could say that they were "virtue signaling" after such a shocking and tremendous loss.
prevnextWork Load
Of this I am certain: The average Black person in this country puts in more work by noon than Jared Kushner puts in the whole damn day. https://t.co/exYSJZ6pAp
— Hakeem Jefferson (@hakeemjefferson) October 26, 2020
Finally, some users refuted Kushner's claims by arguing that the workers Kushner was referring to likely put in more work overall than he does himself. Many mocked Kushner's mission of seeking peace in the Middle East, and questioned what else he really does on a day-to-day basis in his capacity as an "adviser."
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