The White House came out swinging against “haters” mocking Ivanka Trump over a viral video.
Ms. Trump was disparaged on social media over a clip that showed the White House adviser and first daughter trying to make conversation with world leaders at the G20 summit in Japan this weekend. Many Trump critics latched onto the footage as evidence that Trump was not qualified to be at the summit, where she spoke about women’s empowerment in the workforce.
Viral video
On Saturday, the French presidential palace shared a brief video that quickly went viral and sparked a mean-spirited reaction. The clip appeared to show Ms. Trump being snubbed by a circle of world leaders who were discussing social justice and women’s empowerment. Although Ivanka had spoken on the topic at the G20 summit, the group appeared disinterested and confused by Ivanka’s attempts to join the circle.
White House Deputy Communications Director Jessica Ditto defended Ivanka to the New York Times, saying the video was a “misrepresentation” and blasting the “haters” who attacked her.
“It is sad but not shocking that the haters choose to attack Ivanka Trump, a senior adviser to the president, when she is promoting U.S. efforts to empower women through strategic partnerships with world leaders,” said Ditto, adding that the critics were “absolutely pathetic.”
AOC chimes in
Fed a steady diet of sour grapes, Trump haters didn’t pull any punches over the clip, with Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) chiding that “being someone’s daughter isn’t exactly a career qualification.”
The congresswoman went on to add, “It hurts our diplomatic standing when the President phones it in & the world moves on. The US needs our President working the G20. Bringing a qualified diplomat couldn’t hurt either.”
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s press secretary until last week, fired back, alluding to Ocasio-Cortez’s role in killing jobs in her district by opposing a plan by Amazon to build a headquarters in Queens.
“Phoning it in @AOC is wasting your time on Twitter while destroying jobs in NY. @realDonaldTrump & @IvankaTrump actually created millions of new jobs and continue to make the US stronger on the global stage but thank you for reminding Americans everyday why they elected Trump,” Sanders said.
#IvankaResign
While the video was the core of the backlash against Ms. Trump, she was widely criticized for playing a prominent role in her father’s three-day tour of Asia over the weekend. Ivanka joined Trump in South Korea, at the G20 summit in Japan, and at a historic meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, where she accompanied her father inside the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea. Trump was the first American president ever to cross that boundary.
Critics say that Ms. Trump should not have had any official role in the weekend’s events, particularly as President Trump was negotiating trade with China, making diplomatic inroads with North Korea, and discussing other sensitive topics. Ms. Trump is a White House domestic adviser, but her position has attracted scrutiny for sometimes crossing into the realm of diplomacy, and recent events brought an avalanche of fresh criticism.
Ms. Trump also appeared at the negotiating table with her husband, Trump adviser Jared Kushner, for a talk on restarting trade with China Saturday. Both spouses have been held up by Trump critics as Exhibit A in the charge that the president runs his administration like a family business, without regard for merit or appropriate boundaries between roles. Ms. Trump also attended various meetings, appeared in photos with world leaders, and spoke about women’s empowerment at an event.
To Ms. Trump’s credit, that seems to have been the very topic the world leaders were discussing when she interjected. It was known she had spoken on the subject at the summit, they were standing in close proximity, and she is the daughter of the president of the United States. Should she have just said nothing?
By Tuesday, Democrat activists began a social media campaign calling for Ms. Trump’s resignation, #IvankaResign, over assorted grievances, using the most recent backlash as momentum.
The French have denied sharing the video with any intent to embarrass Ms. Trump, asserting that they simply did not anticipate the mess it would cause.
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