Ivanka Trump and her new initiative "Find Something New" have been receiving backlash on social media after its formal launch on Monday. Many called it "tone-deaf."
Millions of Americans lost their job when the many businesses in the country were forced to halt operations or close down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Currently, there are about 20.5 million people who lost their jobs in the U.S. in April alone.
In response to the unemployment, the White House launched the Find Something New initiative under Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, which is chaired by Ivanka Trump. In its new ad, the senior adviser to the president urged Americans to "find something new".
Ivanka urged everyone to check out the initiative website which offers vocational learning and certification programs for Americans to gain the necessary skills they need to fill jobs in the "new normal" economy. After the announcement, #FindSomethingNew was trending on Twitter but not on how Ivanka and her team expected.
Critics called the initiative "tone-deaf." Some said it was like passing the responsibility of reinstating American jobs onto the general public and not the government.
Many also blamed unemployment on President Donald Trump's gross negligence in dealing with the health crisis. One sarcastically wrote that the more than 130,000 Americans who died from COVID-19 left job opportunities to those who are still alive.
Ivanka responded to one Twitter user who mocked the initiative. The president's daughter urged the user to visit their website. She explained that the initiative is about challenging the idea that only those who have two and four-year college education have the skills needed to secure a job.
Others lambasted Ivanka for downplaying or out-of-touch on the real situation in the country. One noted that the First Daughter often offered words of advice that she and her family do not follow.
In April, Ivanka tweeted the CDC guidelines for people to stay home and avoid non-essential travels. However, she broke her own advice and traveled to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey for Passover.
Earlier this month, the 38-year-old former model urged people to be "safe and responsible," and follow social distance and wear masks. On the same day, however, President Trump hosted a Fourth of July event at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota where the crowd did not practice social distancing and many also did not wear face masks.
