Ivanka Trump: what did Donald Trump’s daughter say on Twitter about the Capitol rioters - and why did she receive backlash?

She has since deleted the controversial tweet

As a violent mob of President Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday 6 January, politicians and famous faces took to Twitter to voice their concerns.

However, the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, posted a controversial statement about the “insurrectionists” - who took over the building in an attempt to overturn the US election result - on the social media platform.

In a now-deleted tweet, Ms Trump, who is an adviser to the president, called the mob “American Patriots”.

Ivanka Trump's tweet caused controversy (Shutterstock)

It came as Donald Trump himself was suspended from Twitter after directly addressing his supporters in a video.

Here’s everything you need to know about her statement - and why it received backlash.

What did Ivanka Trump tweet?

Ivanka Trump took to Twitter to make a statement about the chaos that unfolded at the Capitol building in Washington DC, which has been described as “the greatest threat to US democracy” since the civil war.

The mob took over the building to riot against what Donald Trump has consistently called a “fraudulent election”.

While she urged the loyalists to refrain from violence, in the same tweet Ms Trump called them “American Patriots”.

The tweet read: “American Patriots – any security breach or disrespect to our law enforcement is unacceptable. The violence must stop immediately. Please be peaceful.”

Soon after the president’s eldest daughter sent her statement, she was questioned by other Twitter users about her use of the term “patriots” to describe the rioters.

CNN’s White House correspondent, Kate Bennett, asked: “Clarifying, @IvankaTrump, you're saying these people are "patriots" ??”

Ms Trump appeared to backtrack in her response: “No. Peaceful protest is patriotic. Violence is unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms.”

She has since deleted the original tweet, but her clarification remains online.

The two tweets were the only social media comments Ms Trump made during the storming of the Capitol building.

Why did the tweet receive backlash?

Twitter users were angry about Ivanka Trump’s use of the term “American Patriots” to describe her father’s angry supporters.

She also received backlash for not asking rioters to abandon their siege of the Capitol building.

Journalist Jake Sherman, who was inside the Capitol building at the time, condemned Ms Trump’s Twitter language.

He wrote: “American patriots? I’m sitting here in lockdown. The capitol has been breached and people have guns drawn. What are you talking about?”

And White House correspondent April Ryan said Ms Trump was “complicit” in the violence that had played out at the seat of US democracy.

She said: “We were always told that @IvankaTrump was going to be the ‘voice of reason’ for her father. Instead, she’s just as complicit.

“You can delete the tweet, but you calling rioters “American Patriots” will live on!”

Other users said Ms Trump deletion of the tweet pointed to the fact it was inappropriate.

Her brother, Donald Trump Jr, also addressed the violent protests via the social media platform, retweeting a video which showed the mob fighting with federal police.

He wrote: "This is wrong and not who we are. Be peaceful and use your first Amendment rights, but don’t start acting like the other side.

“We have a country to save and this doesn’t help anyone.”

Why has Donald Trump’s Twitter account been suspended?

The President of the United States has been temporarily suspended from both Twitter and Facebook.

Donald Trump failed to explicitly condemn his supporters’ violent actions in a series of tweets, until he posted a video to Twitter directly speaking to them.

In the short clip, he reiterated his consistent claims about election fraud, telling the rioters “I love you” before encouraging them to “go home”.

The president said: “I know your pain, I know you’re hurt, we had an election that was stolen from us, it was a landslide election, and everyone knows it, especially the other side, but you have to go home now. We have to have peace. We have to have law and order."

The video statement led to Twitter and Facebook locking Trump out of their sites for 24 hours.

Twitter said it required the removal of three of Trump’s tweets about the riots for “severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy", and that the president’s account would remain suspended if the tweets were not taken down.

Twitter Safety’s statement read: “As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy.

“If the tweets are not removed, the account will remain locked. Future violations of the Twitter Rules, including our Civic Integrity or Violent Threats policies, will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account.”

Facebook said: "We removed [the video] because on balance we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence."

Donald Trump’s twitter account is his main channel for communicating with his supporters.