Gia Giudice asks Trump to pardon father Joe, receives backlash online

Reality television personality Gia Giudice is facing backlash over her plea to President Donald Trump. In an Instagram video posted on July 4, Giudice wrote to the President asking him to pardon her father, Joe Giudice.

While packing and labelling a number of envelopes containing letters, Giudice recounted her father’s story and said,

“Hey, guys, my name is Gia Giudice. I’m the daughter of Joe Giudice and today I’m using my voice for something deeply personal. My dad was deported over four years ago. Since then, our family has lived in an emotional limbo. No matter how strong we try to be in the absence of a father, of a parent, it’s something that never stops hurting.”

Sharing how present her father was during her childhood, Giudice continued,

“Growing up, my dad was present at every cheer competition, every dance recital, holiday. He was our provider. Our protector. And he still is, just now from thousands of miles away.”

Crediting the Chrisley family’s unification when Trump pardoned Todd and Julie Chrisley, Giudice added,

“Watching the Chrisley family receive a second chance inspired me. It showed me that people can be forgiven, that families could be restored and that sometimes the justice system has room for grace. That gave me hope. Hope that maybe my dad could come home too. A pardon would mean more than just legal forgiveness. It would mean healing for my sisters, for my mom, for my family and for me.”

Appealing to the President for a pardon, Giudice said,

“We’ve missed birthdays, graduations, even the small moments that matter the most. This isn’t just about one man, its about a family who deserves to be whole again. I’m using my platform to speak to just as a public figure but as a daughter who deeply misses her dad. We are not asking for sympathy. We are asking for a second chance. So, let’s bring Joe home together. President Donald J. Trump, I really hope you receive these character letters about my dad, Joe Giudice. Love you guys, bye.”

In the video, Giudice could be seen traveling to a post office in New Jersey and labelling, sealing and sending packets out.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Gia Giudice (@_giagiudice)

Gia Giudice’s plea to Trump faced online backlash

In the comments on her post, Gia Giudice was slammed by many of her followers. Many netizens highlighted the culpability of Joe Giudice and criticized Gia. As per People Magazine, Joe was deported to his birth country, Italy, after serving a 41-month long prison sentence for wire, mail and bankruptcy fraud.

A comment on Gia Giudice’s post on Instagram, which received thousands of likes, read:

“This is rather tone deaf considering your father committed a white collar crime and got deported but people are getting deported and sent God Knows Where without even having criminal records. Your fans want you to use your influence to help the less fortunate and I don’t blame anyone for not having sympathy for your father who is dealing with consequences based off of choices he MADE.”

Another netizens addressed Giudice directly and wrote,

“Gia. Your dad had YEARS to become a citizen and didn’t. He broke laws and this is his consequence. Why is he any different from anyone else who was deported for criminal behavior?”

Citing her father’s criminal record, another netizen wrote,

“Your dad stole money!!!! He stole from hard working contractors , and you think he deserves to come back???”

At the time of the writing of this article, Giudice, who features in Next Gen NYC, has not commented on the backlash her plea to Trump received.

Back in June, Joe Giudice had also posted on Instagram asking Trump to pardon him and let him return to the United States, as per Newsweek.