'Painful to watch': The French government released a video of Ivanka Trump having an awkward chat with world leaders

Advertisement
'Painful to watch': The French government released a video of Ivanka Trump having an awkward chat with world leaders

Advertisement
Ivanka g20

KEVIN LAMARQUE/Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as White House senior advisor Ivanka Trump looks on during a women's empowerment event during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019.

  • White House adviser Ivanka Trump went to the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, this week.
  • A video released by the French government shows her trying - and failing - to engage in a conversation with world leaders including Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, UK prime minister Theresa May, French president Emmanuel Macronand IMF chairwoman Christine Lagarde.
  • Democratic House Representatives including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ted Lieu took the video as a chance to interrogate the role of President Donald Trump's daughter in the US government. 
  • Visit Business Insider's home page for more stories.

The French government posted a video of White House advisor Ivanka Trump having a stilted conversation with world leaders at the 2019 G20 meeting in Osaka, Japan. Now, the video has gone viral, with some saying it exemplifies why the president's daughter shouldn't be used as a diplomat at one of the most important meetings in international politics.

That video was posted to Twitter by BBC journalist Parham Ghobadi. 

The video is short and the audio isn't entirely clear, but it does depict Ivanka in a circle with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, UK prime minister Theresa May, French president Emmanuel Macronand IMF chairwoman Christine Lagarde.

It appears as if the leaders may be talking about women's rights or female representation, which Trump talked about earlier at the G20. Macron can be heard saying something about "social justice" before Ivanka interrupts him. Then May says, "as soon as you talk about the economic aspect of it though, a lot of people start listening who wouldn't otherwise listen."

Advertisement

"And it's the same with the defense side," Trump adds. "In terms of the whole ecosystem, it's been very male-dominated."

Read more: Ivanka Trump tweeted about visiting The Hague, and Twitter lit up with jokes and memes about her going to prison

The leaders' body language and eye contact are shifted away from Ivanka. She attempts a few comments and nods and smiles in an eager fashion.

 

Some took the video as a chance to interrogate the role of President Donald Trump's daughter in the US government. Democratic House Representatives including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ted Lieu questioned why Ivanka, the daughter of President Donald Trump who he appointed as a White House advisor, was at the G20 summit.

Advertisement

The daughter's role in the US government, along with her husband Jared Kushner, has been controversial throughout Trump's tenure. The two have security clearance and access to highly-sensitive intelligence despite senior staffers' advice to the contrary, which included concerns over Kushner's close relationships with foreign governments

Ivanka said she and Kushner did not receive any preferential treatment while securing the clearances.

Trump's business has also received scrutiny while she's been in the White House, as it has continued to receive international trademarks despite Trump's announcement that she would shutter it while in Washington.

 

 

Advertisement

 

Ivanka went to the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, partly to speak at the women's empowerment event. There, she called upon world leaders to do more to strengthen women's economic freedom. 

"If we propose bold solutions and challenge the limits of the past, we'll empower women to lift their families out of poverty, to grow the economies in their countries and to deliver greater peace and prosperity to millions around the world," Ivanka said.

However, as Business Insider's Ellen Cranley reported, the speech was contradictory to part of her father's track record on women's empowerment. The Trump administration supports cutting aid "to any foreign-based organization that performs, promotes or offers information on abortion."

{{}}