Earlier this week, a series of heartbreaking videos of a 15-year-old girl cycling 1,200 kilometers to take her sick father from Delhi to Darbhanga, Bihar has gone viral.
The plight of this young teenager and her hardships amidst the lockdown took the internet by storm. It also caught US President’s daughter, Ivanka Trump’s attention as she also made an effort to praise the 15-year-old Jyoti.
However, Ivanka failed to read the room. Probably unaware of the ongoing horrific conditions of the Indian migrants, Ivanka thought that this image was representative of ‘the Indian people and the cycling federation’.
15 yr old Jyoti Kumari, carried her wounded father to their home village on the back of her bicycle covering +1,200 km over 7 days.
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) May 22, 2020
This beautiful feat of endurance & love has captured the imagination of the Indian people and the cycling federation!🇮🇳 https://t.co/uOgXkHzBPz
Viewing the world through her white privilege tinted glasses, with her insensitive remark, Ivanka chose to blatantly ignore the humanitarian crisis India is edging towards.
Furious Netizens from across the globe take a minute to school Ivanka on romanticising the migrant’s struggle while trying to tell her what the image actually represents:
Never seen a more apt depiction of what exactly is poverty porn. Shame on you.
— Sanjukta Basu (@sanjukta) May 22, 2020
— Kevin Briand (@briandkr65) May 22, 2020
There was a Marie Antoinette and then there was #IvankaTrump https://t.co/f4jPCHWAlo
— shashi kant sharma (@ShashiK_Sharma) May 22, 2020
Rich must stop Romanticising the Poor!#IvankaTrump pic.twitter.com/do8yJWom0J
— Darsh Kotasthane (@DarshKotasthan1) May 23, 2020
It’s not “beautiful feat of endurance” it’s ” “hurtful fate “
— Qadir Qureshi (@IamQadirQureshi) May 23, 2020
The 15 yr old Jyoti didn’t had any choice to reach her own home, She was helpless, stop making fun of Poor’s #IvankaTrump pic.twitter.com/7XJvQrspg1
#IvankaTrump don’t make fun on poor. pic.twitter.com/jPFbPqimNe
— chaitanya mishra (@ChaiMishra29) May 23, 2020
Dear @IvankaTrump this #dalit child biked 1,200 km because #Modi‘s government abandoned migrant workers. She suffered, her fathered suffered and it is a tragedy.What this is not is an inspiration to cycle. It may however inspire people to depose authoritarians and their daft kin. pic.twitter.com/Pepp9LzlNF
— Dalit Diva (@dalitdiva) May 22, 2020
I like poor people .#IvankaTrump pic.twitter.com/sdrKfRo83a
— 🇮🇳 Sachin Sachan (@sachinsachan) May 22, 2020
Fixed it 👇
— Saahil Murli Menghani (@saahilmenghani) May 22, 2020
15 yr old Jyoti Kumari, carried her wounded father to their home on the back of her bicycle covering +1,200 km over 7 days.
This ugly DEfeat due to poverty & government’s failure has had every true Indian’s head hang in shame.
👉No wonder, you have failed to MAGA!
Madam it’s her helplessness not some Olympic race.
— Naziya Dusgikar | نازیہ (@NaziyaRDusgikar) May 22, 2020
Imagine if you have to carry your Daddy like that !!
Wow… Claps!!
— Mohammad Ahmad (@Ahmadzvoice) May 22, 2020
Humarey yahan bhi leaders aise hi agony ko glorify kartey hain. 🙄 pic.twitter.com/BF0i5r8TuF
Please don’t turn this tragedy into a celebration. The poor child did not carry her father out of choice but under duress out of desperation and helplessness caused by the utter failure of the Indian government. She indeed gets 10 out of 10 for endurance, love and resilience.
— Shikoh شکوہ (@Shikoh567) May 22, 2020
Endurance? Imagination? Cycling federation? It’s not a sporting event, Ivanka, it’s a nation’s conscience in rigor mortis. Is rhapsodizing of tragedies fashionable in your neck of the woods?
— Amit Schandillia (@Schandillia) May 22, 2020
Stop romanticizing the tragedy pic.twitter.com/GTpCp9eawI
— Irfan (@Iam_SyedIrfan) May 22, 2020
“Let them eat cake.”
— Sonali (@SonaliKokra) May 23, 2020
The stupidity is endless when you last name is Trump.
— Rofl Gobhi (@RoflGobhi_) May 22, 2020
Are you seriously this clueless? This kid and her family had to go through this horrific experience because of India’s ill-conceived total lockdown which has resulted in a humanitarian disaster, not because she’s aspiring to be a professional cyclist.
— Rupa Subramanya (@rupasubramanya) May 22, 2020
This is not an ‘Aww’ moment. Its a ‘Haww’ moment for India.
— Rakhi Tripathi (@rakhitripathi) May 22, 2020
I’d like to see you try that with your dad. Now I’m cracking up 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 oh that’s funny 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🌞🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣Dead.
— Shannon is in FIGHT MODE (@Katpa73) May 22, 2020
Ivanka Trump romanticising the poverty and devastation in India. The migrants and the marginalised who are walking thousands of kilometers to escape starvation are not a symbol of endurance but indifference of the regime and criminal apathy of the ruling elite. https://t.co/XDpc53eAKe
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) May 22, 2020
"much better"…. @IvankaTrump pic.twitter.com/LZcAfybhgF
— Dr.Fixit (@yippeekiyay_dk) May 22, 2020
Never seen a more apt depiction of what exactly is poverty porn. Shame on you.
— Sanjukta Basu (@sanjukta) May 22, 2020
Ivanka’s insensitive statement proves that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it?
