Ivanka learned about her dad's transgender military ban just like the rest of us — on Twitter

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Nicole Gallucci
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Ivanka learned about her dad's transgender military ban just like the rest of us — on Twitter
Ivanka Trump, who has to pay very close attention to her dad's tweets. Credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Ivanka Trump may share the president's blood and hold a position in the White House, but when it comes to learning about her father's impromptu announcements, she finds out same way as the rest of the world: Twitter.

In fact, according to Politico, Trump's eldest daughter had absolutely no idea her father was planning to issue his ban on transgender people in the military last week, which just goes to show how great communication is at the White House. 🙃

In the article, Politico writers Annie Karni and Eliana Johnson describe Ivanka and her husband, White House advisor Jared Kushner, as being "blindsided" by Trump's three tweets banning transgender people from serving in the military and describing their medical expenses as burdensome and disruptive.

While defense secretary Jim Mattis was reportedly given only a day’s notice about the decision, White House officials told the publication Ivanka was "surprised by her father’s posts" and didn't learn of the decision until seeing Trump's tweet on her phone. Same, girl. Same — though Trump's not my dad.

During his campaign, the president pledged to fight for the freedoms of the LGBTQ community, but he's done little to uphold those promises since taking office. In February, Trump rescinded the Obama-era rule allowing transgender students to use the restroom matching their gender identity, and despite serious backlash from the LGBTQ community, he failed to proclaim June National Pride Month.

In the past, Ivanka has been vocal about her support of LGBTQ rights. After her father took office, she and Kushner reportedly helped put an end to an executive order that would have overturned additional Obama-era transgender protections and allowed people in the workplace to discriminate against members of the LGBTQ community on the basis of religious beliefs.

Trump may have declared his ban via Twitter, but chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine General Joe Dunford, explained in an internal memo obtained by Politico that tweets do not make official policies ... Sad!

"There will be no modifications to the current policy until the President’s direction has been received by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary has issued implementation guidance,” Dunford wrote. "In the meantime, we will continue to treat all of our personnel with respect ... and will all remain focused on accomplishing our assigned missions."

It comes as no surprise that Ivanka is now getting backlash. "Actions speak louder than words," Sarah McBride, national press secretary for the nonprofit Human Rights Coalition told Politico. "Either Ivanka is ineffective in her advocacy within the building, or her voice doesn’t matter to the president as much as she hopes it does."

Looks like Ivanka needs to step up her game. Though, in her defense, it appears that once Trump drafts a tweet there's nothing standing in the way of him sharing it with the world ... not even immediate family members.

Better turn on push notifications, guys!

Mashable Image
Nicole Gallucci

Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.

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