Ivanka Trump gets BOOED at mention of her dad’s name at gathering of world’s most powerful women – but manages a handshake with Merkel after The Donald’s awkward White House ‘snub’
Ivanka was met with groans as she described her father President Trump as a 'tremendous champion of families'
DONALD Trump's daughter Ivanka was booed as she defended her father's attitude towards women at the G20 women's summit during her first international trip in Berlin.
Ivanka Trump joined German Chancellor Angela Merkel and IMF chief Christine Lagarde today to discuss ways to encourage women's economic empowerment.
Trump's eldest daughter was "directly invited" by Merkel, choosing to go to Berlin before visiting PM Theresa May in an apparent snub to UK's 'special relationship'.
Ivanka was met with groans by the audience when she described her father Trump as a "tremendous champion of supporting families and enabling them to thrive".
Asked about President Donald Trump's past attitudes toward women, Ivanka said: "I've certainly heard the criticism from the media, and that's been perpetuated."
She added: "He encouraged me and enabled me to thrive. I grew up in a house where there were no barriers to what I could accomplish."
Ivanka, the first daughter and a White House adviser, said she is "listening and learning" to define how she can help advance women's economic empowerment in the US and beyond.
The 35-year-old said she plans "to bring the advice, to bring the knowledge, back to the United States, back to both my father and the president and hopefully that will bring about incremental, positive change".
After attending the W20 conference on the empowerment for women, she was pictured at the Holocaust Memorial, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, in Berlin.
During the Berlin discussion, Donald Trump tweeted that he was "proud" of Ivanka for "her leadership on these important issues".
His praise comes after he told reporters he had "unbelievable chemistry" with Merkel – despite their awkward non-handshake during her recent visit to the US.
Coverage of the German chancellor’s first meeting with the new American President was dominated by the incident in which Trump appeared to ignore calls to shake Merkel’s hand.
It remains unclear what exactly Ivanka's role is within her the White House.
At the panel discussion, the moderator asked whether she represented President Donald Trump, the American people or her business.
Ivanka replied: "Certainly not the latter, and I am rather unfamiliar with this role as well, as it is quite new to me."
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She added that "it has been a little under 100 days but it has just been a remarkable, incredible journey".
It comes as her appointment as an adviser, with access to classified information, was highly unusual for the daughter of a president.
Ivanka stepped away from running her fashion brand to take a role as an unpaid White House adviser in her father's administration.
Trump's daughter arrived in Berlin this morning by a commercial flight and was snapped wheeling her own bag as she left the airport.
Her appearance has been hailed in the German press as a triumph of soft diplomacy for Merkel.
Berliner Zeitung, which described Ivanka as "the president's whisperer", said German officials would "certainly be hoping that the president's daughter will convey a positive image of Germany to her father as a result of her short visit"
Süddeustche Zeitung reported: “This is a coup for Merkel. She has realised that for Donald Trump blood is thicker than water.”
Last month, Ivanka was pictured sitting next to Merkel during the German leader's visit to Washington, which was characterised by awkward body language as they tried to play down their differences on issues such as trade.
During her jam-packed tour, Ivanka visited a technology college run by the Siemens company.
She is expected to visit the German capital's memorial to the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis.
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