'This is just gross': CNN panel blasts Ivanka tweeting praise for her dad as he tries to clean up his immigrant debacle
Ivanka Trump (Youtube)

During a Thursday panel discussion on CNN about the White House response to the migrant crisis on the border, political analysts all agreed that first daughter Ivanka Trump's supportive tweet on Thursday seemed completely clueless.


The first lady went down to the border to visit children and learn more about the crisis, she then left Texas while wearing a jacket saying "I really don't care. Do U?"

Ivanka Trump then tweeted, "Now that an EO has been signed ending family separation at the border, it is time to focus on swiftly and safely reuniting the families that have been separated."

"Is that a message to Ivanka Trump herself?" asked CNN's Nia-Malika Henderson. "Ivanka Trump works in the White House and can do something, right? I don't know why she is tweeting about it."

Host Jake Tapper agreed, saying that she could say that she's taking over the supervision of this project or reuniting families.

"I mean, this happened six weeks ago," Henderson continued. "I think it might be her first or second tweet on it. I mean, she's not been out front on this in any way, shape or form and works at the White House."

Neera Tanden, who serves as the President of the Center for American Progress, had a more cynical reason for Ivanka tweeting about the situation now.

"It's like she tweets just as they think that there's a slight shift in policy," Tanden said. "Trump said something, Donald Trump said something. We have no idea, they have no idea how to unite these parents. This is -- but these tweets are really just a PR stunt for how the country will see her as the softer side of this horrendous policy. She's willing to tweet about it now but the most important question is, where was she a week ago or two weeks ago or a month ago?"

Tapper pointed out the "weird detachment" that makes it seem like she's not one of the most powerful people in the administration.

Washington Examiner columnist Kristen Soltis Anderson explained that it is probably more about Ivanka Trump wanting to be a powerful player in politics in the future.

"I think she's seeing the same polls we are seeing which is that this is a policy that was deeply unpopular," she continued. "Outside of her father's very ardent base."

"I mean, I'm sorry, this is just gross. Can I just say it's gross?" Tanden said.

Anderson also noted that the White House can't stop getting in it's own way.

"I just -- this White House has an incredible ability to take something good that has happened and convert it into something that is a bad story for them," said Anderson. "Whether it's last week a really good news cycle for them coming out of the summit in North Korea, president's numbers looking good, economy is looking good and suddenly you decide to implement this policy that's going to take children away from their parents and create a nightmare."

She said the story with Melania Trump is similar. After the first lady went to the border to show compassion to children, "and then you have this jacket. Why did no one say, 'Maybe pick one of your other beautiful coats, Melania?' I don't understand."

Watch the full panel discussion below: