A viral tweet alleging that President Trump and his daughter Ivanka are engaged in cronyism is based on a lie, the Trump Organization says.
The Trump real estate company responded on Monday to a tweet of a photo of a billboard in Manila featuring Ivanka Trump. The tweet was sent by a user named Peter Brack. It received 19,000 retweets, including from numerous major media figures.
“Assistant to POTUS models in an ad for POTUS’s new Tower in Manila. President of Philippines just got WH invite,” Brack wrote on Twitter along with a photo of the billboard.
Assistant to POTUS models in an ad for POTUS’s new Tower in Manila. President of Philippines just got WH invite. pic.twitter.com/zEDxTkGN17
— Peter Brack (@peterbrack) May 1, 2017
Brack was referring to the news that Trump had invited Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to visit the White House. The invitation proved controversial, largely because of Duterte’s admission that he has murdered several people.
Trump’s critics saw the billboard as evidence that the Republican has his family’s business in mind when making decisions involving diplomatic matters. Ivanka Trump currently serves in an unpaid advisory role to her father. She has reportedly cut ties with the Trump Organization, her family’s real estate company.
The only problem: the billboard is old and was removed several years ago, well before Duterte took office.
NBC News correspondent Peter Alexander was one prominent journalist who shared Brack’s tweet. He circulated it to his 163,000 followers. But hours later, Alexander and other reporters were informed by Trump Organization that the billboard was taken down long ago.
NEW: Billboard promoting Trump Tower Manila features Ivanka Trump. as President of Philippines just got WH invite. (h/t @peterbrack) pic.twitter.com/UsqwkLTPSq
— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) May 1, 2017
“This is an old photo,” said Amanda Miller, a Trump Organization spokeswoman. “The developer of Trump Tower in Manila has confirmed that this particular billboard was removed several years ago.”
JUST IN: Full statement from Amanda Miller, Trump Org spokesperson on Ivanka billboard in Philippines. pic.twitter.com/v5zGOw39aK
— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) May 1, 2017
Ironically, Alexander’s “pinned tweet” — a term for the tweets that users have permanently posted at the top of their Twitter feed — is an article about a tense exchange he had with Trump in February.
“Why should Americans trust you?” Alexander asked Trump during a press conference.
ICYMI: Fact-checking the president. https://t.co/FcXJf3z77O
— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) February 17, 2017