December 14, 2019

Ivanka Trump Never Ever Gets Special Treatment. Nope, Never.

The president’s daughter, who is also a senior advisor, was interviewed by a Trump administration spokesperson in Qatar.

Chris Kleponis/CNP, Zuma

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Ivanka Trump is in the Middle East, for some reason, at the diplomatic Doha Forum in Qatar. BuzzFeed’s editor-in-chief Ben Smith caught something unusual about her interview.

Usually it’s a forum where leaders answer tough questions from journalists. BuzzFeed reported that the Turkish foreign minister faced questions about war crime allegations, the Rwandan president was asked about term limits, and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham had to discuss the potential impeachment of President Donald Trump. 

But when it was Ivanka Trump’s turn, she took questions from Morgan Ortagus, a State Department spokesperson and former Fox News contributor.

BuzzFeed collected some of the most hard-hitting questions that were put to the president’s senior advisor and daughter:

“Can you tell us more about the trip [to Morocco] and the highlights?”

“You were able to put women’s prosperity into the national security strategy. That was so important to me that you did that and I’d love for you to explain that.”

“You also returned on a swing through Latin America with our Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan. Can you tell us about some of your impressions?”

“What can everyone here that’s representing the private sector do?”

 

 

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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