Donald Trump's Tweet Congratulating Tiffany's Georgetown Law Graduation Took A Turn
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, graduates across the country have had seen their commencement ceremonies canceled — including Tiffany Trump. The president's youngest daughter graduated from Georgetown Law on May 17, making her the first law grad of the Trump children. Three days later, on May 20, President Donald Trump publicly congratulated his daughter on her new degree. Trump's tweet congratulating Tiffany's Georgetown Law graduation took a turn, however, when he made an odd remark about needing "a lawyer in the family."
On May 20, Trump belatedly took to Twitter to celebrate Tiffany's achievement — but his message wasn't just full of praise. "Congratulations to my daughter, Tiffany, on graduating from Georgetown Law," Trump tweeted. "Great student, great school. Just what I need is a lawyer in the family. Proud of you Tiff!" According to TIME, Tiffany is indeed the first of Trump's children to get a law degree, but Trump's quip about that fact quickly drew mixed reactions on social media. Some of Trump's critics joked that he did in fact need a lawyer, while others wondered why Trump took so long to tweet about Tiffany's graduation. CNN reported, however, that Trump has since invited Tiffany to the White House to celebrate and to congratulate her in person.
The president's quip may not have been the perfect dad joke, but it was ironically appropriate. Trump has been notorious for his myriad legal troubles, including tax cases, defamation cases, and of course, all the federal cases that he is nominally involved in as the head of U.S. government. Perhaps Trump's most famous kerfluffle, however, was in February 2019, when his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified to Congress about the president's political and personal dealings. At the end of the day, keeping it in the family may not be such a bad idea.
The president was not the only family member to congratulate Tiffany on her graduation from Georgetown Law. Her mother, Marla Maples, posted a video to Instagram on May 19, in which she applauded Tiffany's "commitment to humanity" and praised her daughter's fellow 2020 graduates.
Tiffany's sister-in-law, Lara Trump — who is married to Eric Trump — also posted a congratulatory message for Tiffany on Instagram. "We are all SO proud of you!!!" Lara wrote on May 19. "It’s almost bittersweet because, like so many other students out there, we couldn’t go to your graduation ceremony. We can’t all celebrate this momentous occasion with a party. We can’t even give your a congratulatory hug." Despite the "bittersweet" nature of Tiffany's graduation, Lara congratulated her sister-in-law for "your hard work, your dedication, and that incredible diploma you earned."
Tiffany also shared her own commemoration of the event on May 20, posting some celebratory snapshots on her Instagram stories, complete with virtual graduation hats and stickers of the books she no longer has to study.
Like many 2020 graduates impacted by coronavirus shutdowns, Tiffany's final days of her education were undoubtedly bittersweet. But under any circumstances, a law degree is a huge achievement. Congrats, Tiffany!
