Ivanka Booed At Berlin Women’s Summit Over Defense Of Dad

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By Daniel J. Solomon April 25, 2017

Ivanka Trump tried to use her poise and message of women’s empowerment to win over fans — and it didn’t go well at all. Audience members booed and hissed at her — and the panel’s moderator peppered her with tough questions about her father President Trump.

“I’m very proud of my father’s advocacy,” she said at the event, which she headlined with German Prime Minister Angela Merkel, calling Trump “a tremendous champion of supporting families and enabling them to thrive.”

That drew loud boos from the crowd and led the moderator to question Ivanka about accusations of sexism and sexual assault leveled against her father. She responded by blaming the media, telling the panel, “I’ve certainly heard the criticism from the media, that’s been perpetuated.”

She also struggled to define her role in the administration, telling the panel’s moderator that being first daughter and a special assistant within the White House meant working for “incremental positive change.” She added, “This is very early for me, I’m listening, learning.”

Trump was in Germany at Merkel’s invitation, and this was her first foreign trip as a government official.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at solomon@forward.com or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.

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