‘It’s a life versus my reputation’: Kim Kardashian West responds to backlash after Trump visit
"When I outweighed the options of bad stories about me that would probably last a week in this news cycle, versus saving someone’s life, that wasn’t an option," the reality star said.
When it comes to working on behalf of criminal justice reform, Kim Kardashian West says she doesn’t really care what the public has to say about her methods.
The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star visited Donald Trump at the White House this summer, and convinced him to release Alice Marie Johnson, who was sentenced to life in federal prison after a 1996 conviction as a first-time, nonviolent drug offender. She had been serving time in Aliceville, Ala.
While Kardashian West’s actions were incredibly noble, critics blasted her for cozying up to Trump, whose rancorous rhetoric and antics have divided the country among racial and political lines more than ever.
However, during a recent Criminal Justice Reform Summit, held by Variety and Rolling Stone, CNN commentator Van Jones sat down with the mother of three and asked how she forged a relationship with Trump.
She first reached out to Ivanka Trump, who later connected her with her husband and presidential advisor, Jared Kushner.
“He has been amazing. He has fully listened,” she said of Kushner. “Ivanka was amazing in really connecting me. And we really worked together as a team to present Alice’s case.”
Jones interjected: “But you’re not a Trump person. I don’t mean to get into your business. A lot of people, I think, might say, ‘I just… I just… I just… TRUUUUMP!’ They can’t get over that to make the call… How does that work in your mind?”
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Kim Kardashian tells Van Jones about calling Ivanka Trump and working with her and Jared Kushner #CriminalJusticeSummit https://t.co/Rj3fFuXx3i pic.twitter.com/TUT8p5aWif
— Variety (@Variety) November 14, 2018
“I did consider the fact that I would get a lot of backlash if I went to the White House,” the reality star conceded.
“For me, if it’s a life versus my reputation. People talk s— about me all day long, I didn’t really care. What more could they say about me, seriously? When I outweighed the options of bad stories about me that would probably last a week in this news cycle, versus saving someone’s life, that wasn’t an option. I will gladly go there and take the heat. Okay, if he’s gonna listen to me and he’s taking the meeting, maybe I can really get through to him and really explain to him. From meeting all of the people that I have met behind bars, I guarantee you, they don’t care who signs that clemency paper.”
