No Evidence Ivanka Trump Was Targeted in Building Collapse
The Claim
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were targets of the Miami building collapse.
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Emerging story
On June 24th in the suburb of Surfside, Miami, a 12 story residential building collapsed, killing at least nine people, with more than 150 others still missing. While the cause of the collapse is still under investigation, rumors of foul play naturally began to circulate on social media.
One suspicion arose after media outlets highlighted that the building is located only one block from a home owned by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. Some social media users speculated that this could not be a mere coincidence, and suspected that either Trump and Kushner were being targeted, or that the collapse was intended as a kind of threatening message to the couple.
Misbar’s Analysis
There is no evidence that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were targeted, or in any way linked to the Miami building’s collapse. Officials are still investigating the causes, but Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters in a news conference that there is no evidence of something criminal, such as a bomb. She reported the progress of officials, saying, “I can tell you at this time they haven't found any evidence of foul play, so that is important for people to know.”
Scientists and engineers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology told the Miami Herald that prior structural damage was most likely the cause of the collapse. More specific possibilities that they plan to investigate are a failure in the condo tower’s foundation; steel corrosion; tremors from a nearby Navy test explosion off the coast; and flaws in the original construction or design.
The collapse may have been caused by a combination of these factors as well. Atorod Azizinamini of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Florida International University said that this type of collapse is likely caused by “a perfect storm of several factors coming together at the same time.” Experts said that the investigation into exactly what caused the building’s collapse could take months.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis emphasized the importance of resisting the temptation to circulate conspiracy theories. “We need a definitive explanation for how this could have happened, and that’s an explanation that needs to be an accurate explanation,” He said. “It’s an explanation that we don’t want to get wrong.”
The neighborhood is home to many high-profile and wealthy residents, so it is no surprise that Trump and Kushner are among them. They own a home located near the building, which they purchased in January of this year. They were not in Miami during the time of the collapse, but they’ve chipped in by reportedly organizing a week’s worth of food for first responders. Several organizations are also collecting donations to support those impacted by the tragedy.
