Jared Kushner has sparked ridicule after suggesting that he was qualified to steer the Middle East peace process because he had read 25 books on the subject.
Kushner made the boast in an interview with Sky News Arabia in which he also declared he had ‘spoken to every leader in the region’.
Viewers quickly responded by applying Kushner’s logic to suggest that they could fly a plane or play in the NBA if they had read enough about it.
The president’s son-in-law is the principal architect of the Israel-Palestine peace proposal which Trump unveiled this week.
Israel has hailed the proposal but the Palestinians have fiercely rejected the plan – prompting Kushner to remark that they ‘always screw everything up’.
‘I’ve been studying this now for three years. I’ve read 25 books on it, I’ve spoken to every leader in the region, I’ve spoken to everyone who’s been involved in this,’ Kushner told his interviewer outside the White House yesterday.
Attorney Renatio Mariotti was among those to parody Kushner’s claim, saying: ‘I’ve read 25 books on the NBA. I’m available whenever the Chicago Bulls need a new point guard.’
Comedian John Wing said: ‘I’ve read 25 books about sailing around the world so I’m confident you should hire me to build your boat.’
Author Diana Butler Bass joked: ‘I’ve read 25 books on flying. I guess I’m a pilot.’
“The Daily Show’s” Trevor Noah ripped into “participation trophy husband” Kushner.
Noah joked, “Kushner is like, ‘I spent two hours at Kinko’s, so, yeah, it’s a good plan.” And just because you draw a picture of something you want doesn’t mean you’re going to get it.”
Can Trump actually pull off peace in the Middle East? Spoiler alert: no.
Full coverage: https://t.co/cli8ywLmhM pic.twitter.com/TqYDfjxfY8
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) January 30, 2020
“He’s like, ‘We’ve got a map.’ It doesn’t mean you’ll get that map. I once drew a picture of myself riding a horse. Did I get a horse? No, I got a monkey. Good news, you can actually ride a monkey. Yeah, they don’t like it, but you can do it,” Noah continued.
The Washington Post’s Alexandra Petri skewered Kushner in an article titled, “I have just read 25 books and I am here to perform your open-heart surgery.”
I have just read 25 books and I am here to perform your open-heart surgery https://t.co/xOHb2DDTtX
— Alexandra Petri (@petridishes) January 29, 2020
Foreign policy experts and others have long criticized Trump’s reliance on his family members to spearhead major government efforts across issue areas that are normally led by seasoned experts.