Was it an example of a celebrity using their platform for good, or a sign of the relentless celebritization of politics? Whatever side of the debate you stood on, Kim Kardashian’s visit to the White House this week certainly got people talking.

The reality star posed for a photo op in the Oval Office on Wednesday (30 May), after meeting with President Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to discuss prison reform in the US. Kardashian was there to ask Trump to grant clemency to Alice Marie Johnson, a 63-year-old woman currently serving a life sentence for a first-time non-violent drug offence.

Johnson has been in federal prison for over 21 years after she was convicted of money laundering and conspiracy to sell cocaine. She has always maintained that she worked as a ‘go-between’ and never personally sold drugs or made deals, but was sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus 25 years, in 1997. Since hearing about Johnson’s case last October, Kardashian has been paying her legal fees.

The sight of Kardashian with Trump prompted horror and cynicism from some commentators. Naomi Fry, writing for The New Yorker, described the scene as “palpably creepy” and “a nightmare we can’t wake up from”; many others questioned why Kardashian didn’t invite established and experienced prison reform activists to accompany her to the White House.

However, Kardashian herself said that she felt the meeting had gone well. “I think that [Trump] really spent the time to listen to our case that we were making for Alice,” she told Mic. “He really understood, and I am very hopeful that this will turn out really positively.”

Women Making Waves is part of Stylist’s Visible Women campaign to raise awareness of women who’ve made a difference. See more Visible Women stories here.

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