French President Emanuel Macron’s office has claimed innocent intent in a clip they shared over the weekend of President Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, apparently being brushed off by world leaders at the G-20 summit in Japan.
The Élysée Palace, the official home and office of the president of France, shared a clip to their Instagram account which seemed to show a conversation between Macron and several other world leaders with Ivanka standing slightly in the background. As the conversation seemed to skew toward the discussion of women in positions of leaders, Ivanka added her own input to which the global leaders seemed to hear what she said then turn around and curtly ignore her, resuming their previous discussion.
The clip made the rounds shortly after its release, eliciting harsh commentary from critics of the Trump administration, including Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who tweeted, “It may be shocking to some, but being someone’s daughter actually isn’t a career qualification. 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”
It may be shocking to some, but being someone’s daughter actually isn’t a career qualification.
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. https://t.co/KCZMXJ8FD9
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 30, 2019
Officials of Élysée claimed that while they were aware that there was persistent discussion over Ivanka’s role in world politics within the United States, that conversation, “goes beyond us, of course.”
They further stated that their choice to share the short clip was not meant to embarrass the president’s daughter. An official further stated, “We didn’t anticipate the reaction, and once again, we are not responsible for the use made of the clip.”
