On June 30, the Turkish Official Gazette published a decree asking all government agencies to start a rigorous saving campaign. The detailed program even asked offices to curb their newspaper subscriptions. Two agencies were exempted from this spending control plan: the Directorate of Presidential Administrative Affairs and parliament’s General Presidency. The public saw this as the palace exemption.

The same day, first lady Emine Erdogan attended a campaign organized by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry titled “Protect your food, own your kitchen,” focusing on global food scarcity. After providing chilling data about food waste, the first lady said there are things the public can do and provided a list of suggestions such as to make a list before going shopping to eliminate unnecessary purchases, and to serve smaller portions. 

Social media then replied to her suggestions with photos of hunger, poverty and destitution along with lavish spending symbols of the presidential palace and  members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

The first lady is also known for her expensive taste, and has made global headlines for her $50,000 Hermes brand purse.