It is clear that with her trip to Hawaii to help the victims of the horrendous Maui fire, Ivanka Trump did not use a tragedy for self-aggrandizement, unlike self-interested stars like Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
It is just being reported that former President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, made a very quiet trip to Maui to spend some time helping out the victims of the fire that ravaged their homes for miles, leaving nearly 100 dead, many still missing, and thousands homeless.
The former first daughter teamed up with CityServe International, a humanitarian group that went to the disaster to distribute 250,000 prepackaged meals for displaced families, U.K.’s Daily Mail reported.
Trump met with families and helped out for a while at a food distribution center where she helped to hand out pre-paid gasoline cards, vegetables, pre-packaged meals, water, and other much-needed supplies to the displaced residents of the Lahaina area.
“Her humble presence lifted spirits and reminded the people of Lahaina that they are not forgotten,” CityServe said in a statement revealing Ivanka’s trip to Maui.
“Amidst the tears being shed are tangible signs of hope and love, and with the arrival of meals and supplies, our partners and team alongside Ivanka, were hefting boxes of supplies, consoling survivors, and passing out meals to those who’ve lost everything,” the group added.
Trump also used her connections to bring in donations from a list of other companies and groups to help those affected by the fire. And it isn’t just a small effort.
According to CityServe, Ivanka Trump has arranged donations of more than a million dollars for supplies that are set to be distributed to victims of the fire. Items including ebikes, electric scooters, electronics, toys, dry foods, small appliances, ukuleles, and several pallets of Jockey clothing are headed to Maui “all because of a Ivanka’s connection,” the group announced.
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As the paper noted, more than 2,170 acres of Lahaina was destroyed by the fires, and while the death toll stands at 97 currently, there are still at least 66 people still missing. It is the very example of government failure and inaction.
More than 2,200 buildings were laid waste and it is estimated that it will cost up to $5.5 billion to clean up the area. And that doesn’t even include rebuilding.
Ivanka has been a CityServe partner for four years.
Today I joined @CityServeHQ @MercyChefs and local churches in Fort Myers and Naples to assist with their Hurricane Ian disaster relief efforts.
In the face of unimaginable desolation, it was beautiful to see communities & organizations come together during such a difficult time pic.twitter.com/QnW1FxBnyD
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 12, 2022
Trump’s actions, though, contrast sharply with that of the egocentric “celebrities” who quickly jumped up to use the disaster for personal publicity, and then just as quickly disappeared.
Chiefly, Oprah Winfrey, who parachuted into the area on the tail of the disaster and made a big show with multiple videos — featuring Oprah, of course — to highlight the events in Lahaina.
Oprah’s offer to “aid” Lahaina struck many as self-aggrandizement instead of charity.
Action actor Dwayne Johnson also took heat for seeming to self-promote on the backs of the victims of the terrible fires, especially by pleading for the rest of us to donate money when he is a multimillionaire and Oprah is a multibillionaire.
In fact, it seems that our president hasn’t even bothered to give the victims much of his time.
The difference between what “celebrities” Oprah and Johnson did for Maui’s beleaguered residents and what Ivanka did is stark, indeed. Flying in briefly for widely photographed glamor shots and then flying away like Oprah and The Rock did seem quite lacking in usefulness and veracity compared to what Ivanka quietly did, for sure.
