Newsweek, circling the drain of journalistic credibility, has resorted to immature rehashes of liberal social media clickbait, to bizarrely accuse President Trump daughter Ivanka of sending a “dogwhistle” signal to racist movements.
The headline suggests that the Trump family is responsible for the ideological content of flags on boats sailing near them while on vacation: “Oops! Ivanka Trump Vacation Photo Has Confederate Flag on Boat Behind Jared Kushner” was an alleged news story by Jessica Kwong, posted on Wednesday. The article was accompanied by an unrelated clip, “Confederate Symbols Across the U.S.”
In the morning after Christmas, first daughter Ivanka Trump tweeted photos of her husband, Jared Kushner, and son on a boat with the caption, “this fish is a trophy!” But many Twitter users were more interested in something in the background -- a Confederate flag.
The controversial symbol of the Confederacy can be seen on a boat in the distance behind Kushner’s left shoulder, displayed alongside the American flag. Twitter users quickly attacked the first daughter, since President Donald Trump, her father, has a history of defending Confederate statues.
“Couldn't find four photos without one? Or is this a dogwhistle?” tweeted Walter Shaub, who was director of the Office of Government Ethics under former President Barack Obama.
Kwong circled back to Trump’s response to the August rally of neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, and shoehorned in rumors that Ivanka’s husband Jared Kushner was in legal trouble.
Another Twitter user said Kushner is spending time with his family “while he can,” alluding to a probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians in the presidential election. Kushner was reportedly involved in a heavily scrutinized meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer who promised dirt on Hillary Clinton, fueling speculation that he could be implicated.
Kwong allowed a single line of reality to creep in near the end:
But some came to the first daughter’s defense. “Do you hold yourself accountable for the actions of the person driving next to you? If not, you’re a hypocrite,” another Twitter user said.
Although Kwong based her "news" almsot solely around Twitter responses, her own Twitter feedback was full of mockery and disbelief that a flag in the background of a vacation photo was being treated as an actual news event.
