Donald Trump‘s daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump took her father’s seat at the G20 economic summit at least twice Saturday, and the internet is not having it.
According to Bloomberg, an official watching the session said Ivanka Trump took her father’s seat at the Hamburg summit on two occasions but didn’t speak. A spokesman for Ivanka Trump said she had been sitting in the back of the room and only “briefly” joined the main table when the president stepped out.
Ivanka Trump, unelected, unqualified, daughter-in-chief, is representing the US at the G20 summit next to May, Xi, Merkel. Photo @LanaLukash pic.twitter.com/fvs0EMy8z7
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) July 8, 2017
The meeting she sat in on was about African migration and health and featured the president of the World Bank. This isn’t typically seen as unusual behavior by G20 leaders—they’re allowed to bring staff into the room for meetings and have staff fill in for them when they step out for meetings.
However, the Washington Post reports that government ministers typically stand in the heads of state, making the optics of the president’s daughter’s presence quite peculiar.
Quickly, the internet took notice of Trump’s seat swap after Svetlana Lukash, the Russian G20 sherpa, tweeted out the photo seen above of Trump sitting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister Theresa May.
“And replaces Pres Trump at the #G20 table as he leaves for bilateral meetings,” Lukash had tweeted around 5:39am ET.
Lukash deleted the tweet less than four hours later. However, the damage had already been done, with the internet making succession and election jokes.
So glad we all decided to elect Ivanka Trump too. https://t.co/3lrCo8OC1O
— b-boy bouiebaisse (@jbouie) July 8, 2017
New line of succession:
— David Frum (@davidfrum) July 8, 2017
President
Favorite Daughter
Favorite Daughter’s Husband
Eldest Son
Next Son
Vice President
Least favorite son https://t.co/kVPLVcnYjH
“Kid” jokes, most obviously.
https://twitter.com/NKingofDC/status/883669636709003265
Poor Tiffany. https://t.co/RuByBF7tFl
— Josh Chafetz (@joshchafetz) July 8, 2017
And least surprisingly, “princess” puns.
Having Princess Ivanka represent US at G20 table a slap in face to other G20 leaders, other top admin officials, American people. Grotesque.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) July 8, 2017
https://twitter.com/goldietaylor/status/883668511947665410
Critics also took issue with Ivanka Trump’s perceived flip-flop after saying last month that she leaves politics to others.
Ivanka, June 26: "I try to stay out of politics."
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) July 8, 2017
July 8: Seated with global leaders as an equal at the G20 summit. https://t.co/PLMz5fRUD1
https://twitter.com/BettyBowers/status/883671881114583040
This wasn’t Ivanka Trump’s first foray into high level meetings during the summit, the Post reported. On Thursday, Trump and her husband and fellow presidential adviser Jared Kushner joined the president at a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Then Saturday, Ivanka Trump and the president participated in a World Bank session on women’s entrepreneurship.
Making sure women have a seat at the table might be on brand for Ivanka Trump and her message of women’s empowerment. However, it appears the internet picks up an entirely different message when the seat belongs to her.