Ivanka Trump Accused of Orchestrating a 'Scam' After Joining President Trump's Rival Network for Interview

Ivanka Trump joined CNBC’s Squawk Box on Friday, September 12, to discuss Planet Harvest, an organization she co-founded that helps to connect farmers with companies and retailers to reduce the amount of produce waste.

Her initiative aids in increasing revenue for farmers as well as generating more access to nutritious food.

Trump’s appearance on CNBC shocked observers who pointed to the fact that as the president’s daughter, she should have represented her organization on a more preferred network, specifically Fox News, Donald Trump’s favored news platform.

As clips of Ivanka’s interview made their rounds on social media, critics jumped at the opportunity to criticize her choice and even called her out for orchestrating a “scam” by going on a less-conservative network to promote her business.

“What’s her scam here?” asked a curious critic on X.

Another observer expressed how Ivanka joining forces with a non-Republican network has left the Democrats with nothing to tune into, writing, “All channels are turning to crap.”

A third critic suggested Ivanka’s CNBC appearance was “another distraction tactic” to veer attention away from the realities of the president’s agenda.

CNBC is currently a subsidiary under NBCUniversal, whose parent company is Comcast. CNBC primarily focuses on segments about real-time financial markets and business content.

What makes Ivanka’s appearance on CNBC even more shocking is how her father issued an executive order in January, instructing “all executive departments and agencies” to end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. “This order is to ensure that it does so by ending illegal preferences and discrimination,” the executive order states.

The Federal Communications Commission, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, announced in February that Comcast and NBCUniversal would be investigated for promoting “invidious forms of discrimination in violation of FCC regulations and civil rights laws.”

“We have received an inquiry from the Federal Communications Commission and will be cooperating with the FCC to answer their questions,” a Comcast spokesperson responded in a statement in February. “For decades, our company has been built on a foundation of integrity and respect for all of our employees and customers.”

Although CNBC currently works under Comcast, the network is in the process of being transferred to a new entity entitled Versant, which will also own USA, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel.

Versant is expected to fully obtain its networks by the end of 2025. Their initiative is to promote an investor narrative of growth through versatile programming — much of which Ivanka’s recent appearance on CNBC was based on.