vanka Trump looks on the second day of the G20 economic summit on July 8, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany. Photo/AP
vanka Trump looks on the second day of the G20 economic summit on July 8, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany. Photo/AP
Chelsea Clinton has delivered a scathing retort towards US President Donald Trump after he threw her under the bus over an incident with his daughter Ivanka at the G20 summit.
The only child of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Chelsea, fresh from suggesting President Trump "might benefit" from reading children's books, was thrown back into the spotlight when Trump provided a fiery explanation over why daughter Ivanka took his seat during a meeting of G20 leaders in Germany.
The 35-year-old Ivanka was pictured sitting down next to Xi Jinping, Angela Merkel and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Hamburg during the G20 summit, fuelling allegations of nepotism against the US leader, who has put family members in a number of top White House positions.
At the time a White House official said Ivanka had been at the back of the room, but "briefly joined the main table when the President had to step out".
The official emphasised that "when other leaders stepped out, their seats were also briefly filled by others."
Merkel also sought to play down the case, saying that it is "in line with what other delegations do".
Ivanka Trump, unelected, unqualified, daughter-in-chief, is representing the US at the G20 summit next to May, Xi, Merkel. Photo @LanaLukashpic.twitter.com/fvs0EMy8z7
Overnight, Trump took to his favourite medium, Twitter, and explained the story; that when he left the room to attend meetings, namely Japan, he "asked Ivanka to hold my seat".
He reiterated the White House's earlier comments, claiming the move was "very standard".
All was quiet on the Twitter front until fifteen-minutes later, when he took a pot-shot at Chelsea Clinton and the likely "fake news" reaction, attempting to highlight the irony that Clinton might be praised, despite the criticism against Ivanka.
Cue Chelsea, who half an hour after the President's tweet, replied with a "good morning" before attempting to communicate the idea that replacing her father "never occured to me".
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left to right, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, United States President Donald Trump, his daughter Ivanka Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after the Women and Development event at the G20 summit. Photo/AP
Ivanka's participation came to light when a Russian official, Svetlana Lukash tweeted a picture of Ivanka at the main table of the summit in Hamburg, surrounded by world leaders.
"And replaces Pres. Trump at the G20 table as he leaves for bilateral meetings" she said.
"It's nothing unusual for an adviser to sit upfront," said one diplomat on condition of anonymity, "we have had it before."
When I left Conference Room for short meetings with Japan and other countries, I asked Ivanka to hold seat. Very standard. Angela M agrees!
Yesterday she tweeted a montage from her trip to Poland and the G20, which included snapshots with world leaders including Angela Merkel and Theresa May. It was strikingly similar to her father's earlier efforts.
Earlier in the day Trump had waxed lyrical about his daughter before a bevy of world leaders, gathered to boost a fund designed to encourage female entrepreneurs.
"I'm very proud of my daughter, Ivanka - always have been, from day one - I had to tell you that, from day one," Trump said before Australia's Malcolm Turnbull and Canada's Justin Trudeau.
"She's always been great," he said. "A champion. She's a champion." Trump then prompted some nervous laughter when he mused about whether he had made her life more difficult.
