Ivanka, the photobombing ambassador
By Kathleen Parker
The Washington Post
“Surreal” was the word Ivanka Trump used to describe North Korea, which she briefly visited this past weekend with dear ol’ dad.
It was the first time an American president had crossed the threshold into the hermit kingdom, where Trump met with his love-letter-writing bro Kim Jong Un. Naturally, Ivanka needed to be there.
It was, indeed, surreal; and not just to the princess. The world watched as the duo, along with the perpetually suspicious-looking Jared Kushner, traveled between the G-20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, and the Demilitarized Zone dividing North and South Korea. Ivanka played her role, which apparently was to look so pretty, to speak about women’s empowerment, and to look so pretty.
She’s a showstopper, to be sure, and doubtless good company on the president’s travels. She’s been at his side since she was a little girl, after all, attending balls and premieres, stylishly dressed and comfortable in the public milieu. And perhaps the president felt he needed a female presence to fill the void of first lady Melania Trump’s absence.
Ivanka was appreciatively received during a visit to South Korea’s Osan Air Base, but not so much in Osaka, it seemed. Except for the speech she was to deliver, Ivanka looked weirdly out of place everywhere she appeared, which was everywhere. She’s a daughter, not a diplomat (except in a pretend world) or head of state. Yet she waltzed into meetings and conversations as though she were. Technically, Ivanka is an adviser to the president, but what does that mean in reality?
Trump may have been amused by his daughter’s high-profile participation, but not everyone was. In a memorable moment captured on video in Osaka, Ivanka awkwardly joined a group of world leaders deep in conversation. They were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, British Prime Minister Theresa May, International Monetary Fund president Christine Lagarde and French President Emmanuel Macron; not precisely Ivanka’s peer group, but chutzpah seems to be a family trait.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/parker-ivanka-the-photobombing-ambassador/