A woman previously best known for stealing other people’s shoe designs briefly took over for her father at a G-20 meeting in Hamburg on Saturday.
A photo, first tweeted by Russian G-20 sherpa Svetlana Lukash, shows the un-elected Trump sitting in for her father at a working session on “Partnership with Africa, Migration and Health.” There she is, shoulder-to-shoulder with Chinese President Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister Theresa May.
A Trump administration official confirmed that Ivanka took the place of her father when he “had to step out” (got bored), but denied there was anything odd about an apolitical socialite taking a seat at a table populated by world leaders.
From CNN:
“Ivanka was sitting in the back and then briefly joined the main table when the President had to step out, and the president of the World Bank started talking as the topic involved areas such as African development — areas that will benefit from the facility just announced by the World Bank,” the official said, referencing a initiative Ivanka Trump has spearheaded that looks to fund women entrepreneurs.
The initiative in question is the U.S.’s decision to add $50 million to the World Bank’s new women entrepreneurs fund, which some are interpreting as a trivial gesture that will do little to solve the systemic issues responsible for creating a hostile environment for women entrepreneurs in the first place.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the G-20's host leader, said in a news conference that it’s up to individual nations to decide who represents them in their absence. Typically the stand-in is a senior official, but hey, these aren’t typical times.
“The delegations themselves decide, should the president not be present for a meeting, who will then take over and sit in the chair,” Merkel said. “Ivanka Trump was part and parcel of the American delegation so that is something that other delegations also do. It’s very well known that she works at the White House and is also engaged in certain initiatives.”
It’s true! Rather than ask why Ivanka is filling in for her dad at the table, let’s ask what the fuck is Ivanka is doing in the White House at all? Remember when Trump scoffed at the idea that he was getting security clearances for his children?
Earlier in the day, Trump praised his daughter for her role in creating the fund for women entrepreneurs: From Bloomberg:
“I’m very proud of my daughter Ivanka, always have been from day one. I have to tell you that, from day one,” Donald Trump said. “If she weren’t my daughter it’d be so much easier for her. It might be the only bad thing she has going, if you want to know the truth.”
Hmm, maybe.