Ivanka Trump sparked fierce debate after she posted a picture of herself flanked by her dad and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sitting behind the Oval Office desk on Monday.In her first appearance at a White House policy session, on Monday afternoon as she met with Trudeau and her father Donald Trump to discuss a new task force to help boost women in business.'A great discussion with two world leaders about the importance of women having a seat at the table!' she tweeted at the meeting alongside the picture of the smiling trio. Ivanka was seated behind the desk, as her father stood to her right, resting a hand on her back, and Trudeau stood to her left.The picture prompted intense debate on social media where some branded the move 'disrespectful' and 'inappropriate,' while others hailed it a welcome prediction of things to come.'Give me a break! Nepotism at its finest,' one person commented on Instagram. 'I am sorry, but I find this photo tasteless. This is not The Apprentice show, it is The White House,' another added.'Bad taste,' another Instagram user commented.
'U need a publicist or an etiquette expert. No one sits in that chair except the president.' Ivanka Trump posted picture of herself flanked by dad and Trudeau sitting behind Oval Office desk on Monday She tweeted that she had a 'great discussion with two world leaders about the importance of women having a seat at the table!' The picture sparked fierce debate on social media where some branded the move 'disrespectful' and 'inappropriate' Ivanka Trump has since returned to New York City where she was spotted heading out of her apartment for lunch on Valentine's Day The impeccably dressed First Daughter wore a green wool jacket, sunglasses, and black heels for her afternoon lunch'Get out of that seat!!' one message read, while another wrote 'Kim Jung Ivanka 2020', in reference to North Korea's nepotistic dictator.Some Instagram and Twitter users complained that the First Daughter had no place meeting a foreign leader when there were 'many other qualified women that should have been at that meeting'.
But others welcomed the implication that Ivanka could one day be sitting in that chair of her own accort.'One day that will be your chair. You would be a great POTUS,' one commenter wrote. 'LOVE IT!' said another. 'I will so vote for you as first female president...a lady first and always and a true role model for women.'Scores of others echoed the sentiments calling for Ivanka for POTUS. On Monday at the White House, the First Daughter had listened intently as Trudeau held the floor in the Cabinet Room shortly after being welcomed to Washington, D.C. by the president.She also gave her own input, enthusiastically contributing to the round table discussion after welcoming Trudeau and female entrepreneurs to the White House.'I'm honored to be here and really looking forward to hearing from each of you who serve as tremendous role models for me and so many other business leaders across both of our countries,' she said, 'and can lend some tremendously valuable perspective as we think about the unique challenges that entrepreneurs
, women in the workforce, female small business owners are confronted with each and every day, and as we think how we level the playing field for this generation and for the next.'President Trump proudly told the room how Ivanka had been 'very involved' in building the newly-announced task force and that he appreciated her help. She spent the morning getting ready at home with the help of an entourage of stylists before traveling to the White House in a blacked out SUV. Ivanka Trump met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and female business leaders on Monday to discuss how to boost women in business The First Daughter was all ears as she listened to Trudeau and others present at the meeting speak about how best to empower women in the workplace - a cause she is passionate about President Trump said Ivanka had been 'very involved' in building the task force which was discussed at Monday's meeting (above) Prime Minister Trudeau held out Ivanka's seat for her as they sat down in the Cabinet Room shortly after midday
Prime Minister Trudeau was given a warm welcome by President Trump, posing inside the Oval Office before their talks got underway The task force will be known as The United States Canada Council for the Advancement of Women Business Leaders-Female Entrepreneurs. White House aides said it was an interest shared by both the Canadian and US administrations. WHO WAS THERE Elyse Allan, GE CanadaDawn Farrell, TransAltaLinda Hasenfratz, LinamarMonique F. Leroux, Investissement QuebecTina Lee, T&T Supermarket Inc. Tamara Lundgren, Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc.Carol Stephenson, General Motors CompanyJulie Sweet, Accenture North AmericaAnnette Verschuren, NRStor Inc. The cause is close to Ivanka's heart, serving as the inspiration for her first book Women Who Work. It is also a common theme among advertising campaigns for her clothes and accessories lines.The president said later, at a joint presser that he and Trudeau know that the 'full power of women can be better than anyone else.
Ivanka's husband Jared is a senior advisor to her father at the White House. She left the Trump Organization and her own business to move with him to Washington. She's been seen at the White House several times since her father moved in, accompanying him to Dover Air Force Base to receive a fallen solider. Today was the first time she'd been seen in a policy meeting, however.Eager to look the part, Ivanka enjoyed the help of an entourage to help her get ready at home beforehand.The glam squad flocked to her DC home as Kushner set off for an early morning in his role as Senior Adviser to the President. One associate was frisked with a metal detector before she was allowed to enter. Jared set off at 7.35am, minutes after the first of Ivanka's stylists arrived. They left shortly before 9am and Ivanka, 35, followed around an hour later. Ivanka, who is a passionate advocate for women in business, was excited to sit down with the Prime Minister at the start of the meeting Trudeau was welcomed to Washington DC on Monday morning by the president to discuss a range of topics including the US-Canadian task force for female business leaders
The First Daughter was vocal in the round table discussion and held the Canadian Prime Minister's ear as she gave her thoughts. She sat between him and Dawn Farrell, President and CEO of TransAlta Corporation L-R: Prime Minister Trudeau, Ivanka Trump, Dawn Farrell of TransAlta, Monique F. Leroux, Investissement Quebec, Hope Hicks, White House Director of Strategic Communications, Tina Lee, T&T Supermarket Inc. Carol Stephenson of General Motors is next to President Donald Trump and Tamara Lundgren of Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc. is on his other sideEarlier on Monday morning, President Trump gave a warm welcome to Prime Minister Trudeau who he greeted outside the West Wing before a photo-opp in the Oval Office. The pair seemed happy to be in one another's company, with Trudeau familiarly planting one arm on President Trump's bicep as they shook hands. Trudeau has said he expects to 'find a lot of common ground' with the Republican president, despite their disagreements over trade.
The Canadian PM was supportive of Barack Obama's Trans-Pacific Partnership and said in November he'd 'miss' his American counterpart.Trump believes that TPP, which he nixed his first few days in office, and NAFTA have been bad for American workers and is expected to talk about restructuring free trade between the U.S. and its neighbor to the north today.Trudeau on Friday said he intended to 'defend and demonstrate Canadian values' in his meetings at the White House but 'respectfully and not from an ideological standpoint'.He has also spoken out against Trump's travel ban on seven Muslim-majority nations. The ban, which has since been lifted by a federal judge who deemed it 'unconstitutional', prevented citizens from affected countries from entering the US regardless of whether or not they held valid visas or green cards. Prime Minister Trudeau reacted to it with an emotional plea to Muslim immigrants who he said were always welcome in Canada. The following day, a white gunman killed six people in a terror attack at a Quebec mosque.