Barbera Thornhill went viral on social media after Donald Trump's administration named her to lead the State Department's fight against human trafficking.
According to Reality Tea, Thornhill now directs the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and holds the rank of ambassador-at-large.
Assistant Secretary Riley Barnes announced the appointment on X (formerly Twitter) and welcomed her to the team, calling human trafficking "a grave human rights issue and a transnational crime."
Barnes pledged that the administration will keep pursuing traffickers, protecting survivors, and delivering justice for the American people.
After the Trump administration welcomed Thornhill to the White House circle this week, netizens began comparing her appearance to billionaire philanthropist Susan Dell.
“This is what a collapsing empire looks like,” one commented online.
Within no time, a flood of comments appeared underneath Barnes’ tweet, with several users shifting the conversation to her appearance.
“It’s starting to feel like they’re purposely hiring questionable-looking people as some sort of distraction,” one said.
“Are they planning to scare the traffickers to death?” one asked.
Another wrote, “I still think it’s more the result of an unsuccessful face-lift.”
Some even compared her looks to Susan, whose facial appearance also became a topic of discussion after a recent White House visit.
“Is she related to Susan Dell by any chance?” one asked.
Many called it “the Mar-a-Lago effect.”
It’s the “MAGA face…” one said.
Barbera was previously nominated by Trump to be the U.S. ambassador to Singapore back in 2019. But her nomination was withdrawn after former President Joe Biden took office in 2021.
