Social media influencer extraordinaire Kim Kardashian has lost around 150,000 followers after she posted an inauguration day photo of First Lady Melania Trump on her Instagram story, according to an analytics firm.
Kardashian, the reality television star and branding expert who boasts some 358 million followers on Instagram, raised eyebrows online by posting the photo of the first lady wearing a wide-brimmed hat at Monday’s inauguration.
Socially Powerful, the influencer marketing agency, analyzed data which showed that Kardashian’s follower count fell by 144,963 since the photo was uploaded.
Kardashian posted a photo of First Lady Melania Trump.@kimkardashian/Instagram
Kardashian also lost 9,553 followers on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, since posting the image, according to Socially Powerful.
The post prompted some of Kardashian’s Instagram followers to respond negatively, with one writing: “girl…. sold out for far right maga propaganda.”
“Well at least we can see exactly who you are,” another wrote.
“Guys unfollow, don’t watch their show and don’t buy their products. Hit them where it hurts,” another social media commenter wrote.
One Instagram user was offended that Kardashian posted a photo of Melania Trump “but not Martin” — a reference to the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Kardashian’s account boasts 358 million followers.@kimkardashian/Instagram
Kardashian’s post of the Melania Trump photo generated backlash online.Kim Kardashian / Instagram
Trump’s inauguration fell on the federal holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader.
The Post has sought comment from Kardashian.
Though Kardashian is believed to support Democrats, she used her years-long friendship with Ivanka Trump to lobby her father to commute the life sentence of a black woman, Alice Marie Johnson, who was convicted of a nonviolent drug offense.
Kardashian continued her advocacy by participating in White House discussions on clemency and prison reform, further solidifying her professional ties with the first Trump administration.
In April 2020, she stated she would not publicly endorse any presidential candidate, focusing instead on her criminal justice reform efforts.
