“It's interesting that in the same breath, [with his] statutes on people to go back to their ‘shithole countries’ and ‘send her back,’ you can listen to someone else who also has an immigrant story and magically take their word for it, because they're a billionaire and you all share the commonality of both being reality television stars,” says social justice attorney Erin Keith, noting the irony of his contradictory language.
Adding, “I don't necessarily have an issue with her [Kardashian-West] calling the president to help [with cases] because at the end of the day we've already established that Donald Trump is a racist and a bigot. So if the only way we can get anything accomplished is for her to use whatever celebrity she has to get something accomplished, then so be it.
For Tinson, it’s less about intention and more about feasibility. “He’s punch-drunk with celebrity. That’s what it’s all about,” he says. “Relying on having that direct line, two degrees of separation removed from the White House is not sustainable regardless of who’s in office.” Kardashian-West may be doing some good with her frequent flights to the nation’s capital, but at the end of the day, true power still lies in the hands of the people.
“I prefer to not get wrapped up in the Kardashian-West of it, but look at the systemic issues and how we can band together to change it,” Tinson adds. “Because we can’t wait on [the] government. We really have to do it ourselves, whether it’s nonprofits or private citizens that have means or visibility or notoriety to really help bail people out, to help change the laws. That’s really what it takes.