Keke Palmer faces backlash online after tweeting about using food stamps for ‘healthy items only’

Keke Palmer found herself in hot water online after tweeting about regulating food stamps in a since-deleted swap that she then reformatted in a question to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

The 27-year-old initially asked the question, “ Imagine if your EBT card could only work on healthy items ” before an avalanche of information happened.

Government assistance is a regular Conservative talking point, and users were quick to point out that low-income recipients rarely have similar access to food and shouldn’t have to budget more for small amounts provided by the federal government.

After deleting her initial tweet, she asked another question of the newly elected vice president.

“ Hey @KamalaHarris, I know you just started, but my friends and I were talking about this and we think EBT cards should swipe for free on anything that is considered Healthy. Xoxo, ”she wrote.

When users noted the multitude of problems suggesting what the government allows low-income people to buy, Keke tried to “clarify” his point.

“To clarify, my tweet was about issues with expensive healthy food and I thought it should be free for those cards with EBT,” Keke wrote. “It was not a suggestion to solve all low income problems. Only a promising solution 4 for those with EBT who want to whip it up with meat and produce.

“The first problem to be addressed is the lack of access to these healthier foods in poor communities and communities of color,” wrote @lailaaxmarie. “Your original idea of ​​EBT working only on ‘healthy’ foods completely ignores this.

“ But you didn’t say that … sometimes it’s better not to backpeddle and put your hands up and say I was wrong and callous and the problem is more complicated than I thought, ” wrote @loudnajiagirl.

Despite deleting the tweet soon after it was posted, she spent hours online defending what she was trying to say with that thoughtless statement.

Another user (@OlonzoTheGoat) simply said: ‘Because you basically said EBT should only work for healthy foods, that’s what I heard. ”

“ Yeah, I feel like she makes it look like poor people are just making bad food choices which is a bad take, ” @nosilaurustv wrote. “ If that’s not what she meant, then fine, but she should consider the influence she has instead of complaining that people don’t like what she said ONLY because ‘she is a celebrity. ”

Keke recently hosted the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards and found fame featured in Barbershop 2: Back in Business and Akeelah and the Bee.