Ivanka and Jared billboards moved to Mar-a-Lago ‘in honour of demands’ for their removal from New York
One board portrays Ms Trump smiling alongside a count of how many New Yorkers and Americans have died from Covid-19
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Lincoln Project has moved billboards that infuriated Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner from New York to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
The Republican anti-Trump political action committee (PAC) installed the two large ads in Times Square on 22 October, which criticised the couple for the handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
In response Ms Trump and Mr Kushner, who both serve as senior advisors to the president, threatened to sue The Lincoln Project for defamation and demanded their removal.
One board portrays an image of Ms Trump smiling alongside a count of how many New Yorkers and how many Americans in total have died from Covid-19.
The other board shows an image of her husband next to his reported words that, “[New Yorkers] are going to suffer and that’s their problem” along with red and white body bags.
In the latest development of the dispute, The Lincoln Project moved the billboards from New York to the president's Florida resort “in honour” of the couple’s demands.
“@jaredkushner and @IvankaTrump demanded we take the billboards down. They threatened to sue @ProjectLincoln for “enormous” sums,” group co-founder, Ron Steslow tweeted.
“In honor of their demands, here is the boat we hired, on its way to Mar-a-Lago. And our digital billboard truck circling Trump Tower in NYC.”
Photos show a boat with a digital billboard featuring the two ads and a truck with the graphic of Mr Kushner in front of Trump Tower.
The move comes following Ms Trump and her husband’s threat to sue the Lincoln Project for defamation shortly after the original boards appeared.
“I am writing concerning the false, malicious and defamatory ads that The Lincoln Project is displaying on billboards in Times Square,” wrote Mark Kasowitz, their lawyer to the group.
“If these billboards are not immediately removed, we will sue you for what will doubtless be enormous compensatory and punitive damages.”
In a statement, the group said that Ms Trump and Mr Kushner's response to the billboards was "comical".
“The level of indignant outrage Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have shown towards The Lincoln Project for exposing their indifference for the more than 223,000 people who have lost their lives due to their reckless mismanagement of Covid-19 is comical," they said.
“While we truly enjoy living rent-free in their heads, their empty threats will not be taken any more seriously than we take Ivanka and Jared.”
The PAC also shrugged off the threat on Twitter calling the couple entitled, “out-of-touch bullies who have never given the slightest indication they have any regard for the American people".
The Republican group has released a host of eye-catching videos, adverts, memes, and billboards which have often gone viral in an attempt to oust the president and his allies in this year’s election.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment on the movement of the billboards.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments