Ms Rachel posts support for hijab-wearing kindergartners after Trump post
Children’s YouTube star "Ms. Rachel" has waded into a political controversy after pushing back against President Donald Trump for sharing a viral video showing several children wearing hijabs at a Minnesota kindergarten graduation.
"Ms. Rachel," whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, took to Instagram to express support for the kindergarteners wearing hijabs.
"I saw some of you wore a hijab to your graduation," she wrote on Tuesday. "I am glad you wore something meaningful and special to you and your family. I think hijabs are beautiful. Different kids wear different things that are a part of their cultures and religions, such as hijabs, kippahs, or necklaces with a cross. Some kids don’t wear anything that is from their religion or are not religious."
The post also appeared to take an indirect jab at the president, without mentioning him by name, writing, "No one’s hurtful words can take away our worth and our value! Just because someone says something does not mean it’s true!"
CALIFORNIA RESTAURANT OWNER HITS PARENTS OF BRATTY KIDS WITH HEFTY FINES FOR TRASHING HIS BUSINESS
Accurso, who rose to fame creating educational videos for children, has more than 20.5 million subscribers on YouTube, along with nearly 9.3 million TikTok followers and over 5 million on Instagram.
Her reaction came after Trump reshared a graduation video on Truth Social. The clip was previously shared by the X account End Wokeness, which claimed it showed a school in St. Paul, Minnesota, and captioned it, "Every girl is in a hijab … in kindergarten."
Trump did not add a caption of his own when he reposted the clip, which shows several young children in head coverings wearing blue graduation regalia reading "kindergarten graduation." Over a dozen of the children featured are wearing hijabs or head coverings, which are traditionally worn by Muslim women.
MS RACHEL FACES BACKLASH AS SOCIAL ACTIVISM ENTERS CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Accurso’s post also noted that last year she attended multiple celebrations of different faiths, including a Hanukkah celebration, an Eid brunch and her own family celebrations of Easter and Christmas.
The post continued, saying, "If anyone says anything hurtful about something you are wearing, tell a grown-up you trust. This will help us keep our communities and world safe," and continued with, "I hope you know that there is more kindness than fear, that love is stronger than hate, and that so many people stood with you."
This is not Accurso’s first step into the political arena. Earlier this year, she visited an immigration detention facility in Newark, N.J., where she met with separated families, describing the children there as "traumatized." She has also previously faced backlash for her advocacy surrounding children in Gaza.
Accurso landed in hot water in January for appearing to like an antisemitic comment under one of her Instagram posts that read, "Free America from the Jews." At the time, in a statement to Fox News Digital, she cleared the air:
"[On Wednesday], I accidentally liked a hateful comment on my social media while trying to delete it. I have always been completely clear on this; I do not support language that targets or harms the Jewish community or any community," she said.
"Antisemitism and hate of any kind have no place in my life or my work," Accurso continued. "Everything I do is rooted in kindness, inclusion, and care for all humanity. Those values guide me every day, and I remain firmly committed to them."
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Accurso for comment but did not immediately receive a response.