Twitter Attacks Ivanka Trump Over 'Clarifying' Op-Ed On Breastfeeding Policy
Ivanka Trump complained in a tweet Monday about “much misinformation” concerning the Trump administration’s opposition earlier this year to a United Nations resolution that encouraged breastfeeding around the world.
Twitter went bonkers.
The first daughter directed her Twitter followers to a “clarifying” opinion piece by federal health officials published Friday in the New York Post. Trump didn’t detail what misinformation she was referring to.
The U.S. delegation’s opposition in May to the resolution at the World Health Assembly, instead backing the interests of infant formula companies, stunned world health officials, The New York Times reported. A Health and Human Services spokesman had told the Times that the resolution created “hurdles” to purchasing infant formula, which is aggressively marketed around the world.
Ecuador, which had planned to introduce the resolution, was threatened with the loss of U.S. military aid and punishing tariffs on its products if it didn’t abandon the measure, government sources told The Times. Russia eventually introduced the resolution, which was passed largely intact, the newspaper said.
U.S. officials insisted they were protecting consumer access to infant formula — which is less healthy for babies and too expensive for many families.
After much misinformation has circulated on this important topic in recent weeks, this clarifying OpEd by @Surgeon_General is a must read: https://t.co/EGh90K7eGp
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) July 23, 2018
“The administration fully endorses breastfeeding,” said the opinion piece by Brett Giroir, an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, and Alma Golden, a deputy assistant administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development. But the article also confirmed that the U.S. objected to sections of the resolution restricting marketing of infant formula. American infant formula companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on lobbying each year. Abbott Laboratories alone, which makes Similac and other formulas, spent $790,000 on lobbying this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Twitter followers weren’t buying the article — especially because it was pitched by Ivanka Trump, who also acts as a White House adviser, in the wake of her father’s immigration policies separating mothers from their children. Responses were nearly universally negative.
It wasn’t misinformation. This Administration tried to strong arm other countries so that formula companies could make more money!
— Human Being (@dkahn369) July 23, 2018
After reading the article, I can't help but wonder about the disconnect between a mother malnourished to the point of not being able to breastfeed somehow being able to afford formula.
— Gregory J. Neumann (@neumann_gregory) July 23, 2018
“The Trump administration stands with all mothers” is downright laughable on so many levels.
— Jennifer (@jerseymom473) July 23, 2018
#WhereAreTheChidren #WhereAreTheChidren #WhereAreTheChidren #WhereAreTheChidren #WhereAreTheChidren #WhereAreTheChidren #WhereAreTheChidren #WhereAreTheChidren
— Christine Schneider (@chrisnlori1990) July 23, 2018
Misinformation???? Is that the new deflection catchword?
— Truth Integrity Logic (@LogicIntegrity) July 23, 2018
Anyone surprised when this Administration gets called out and quietly distance themselves from the unimaginable position they held, its not a mistake they made but misinformation.
What, is #FakeNews not working on your 12% base anymore?— @telemetrytimes (@telemtimes) July 23, 2018
Stop
— Solomon Hedaya (@solomonhedaya) July 23, 2018
U must be so proud pic.twitter.com/ATnfjFfIpv
— 🍍🧘🏽?♂?🐝🎀mamacita🎀🐝🍍🧘🏽?♂? (@OmMamacita10) July 23, 2018
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.