Ivanka Trump defends working 'to better the lives of every American' after being shamed for Kim Kardashian photo

Erin Donnelly
·Yahoo Life Senior Editor

Try all you like, but Ivanka Trump won’t be shamed for meeting with Kim Kardashian.

The first daughter joined Kardashian on Wednesday for a White House discussion on criminal justice reform. Trump’s husband, fellow White House adviser Jared Kushner, and CNN host Van Jones also sat in on the meeting.

It’s not Kardashian’s first trip to the White House seeking clemency for incarcerated individuals. Earlier this year she met with President Trump in the Oval Office, which resulted in the release of Alice Marie Johnson, a great-grandmother who served 21 years in prison for her involvement in a drug ring. The first daughter and Kushner were reportedly instrumental in setting up the Johnson meeting.

Kardashian has now set her sights on getting the sentence of 30-year-old inmate Chris Young, who is serving life without parole following a 2010 drug arrest, commuted.

She later shared photos from the meeting in a tweet calling for “REAL systemic change.”

Kardashian’s involvement has sparked mixed reactions, with many praising her for using her platform to advocate on the behalf of others. Critics, however, have ridiculed her influence on the White House, writing it off as a symptom of a celebrity-obsessed culture.

But Ivanka Trump doesn’t see it that way. When ABC reporter Jory Rand mocked her photo op with Kardashian, the White House adviser fired back with a tweet defending her work.

Her reference to working to “better the lives of every American,” however, prompted even more backlash from those questioning her father’s policies.

It remains unclear if Kardashian’s visit will result in a prison release for Young.

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