Macron’s office ‘didn’t anticipate the reaction’ after sharing Ivanka Trump video clip

The French presidential palace on Monday said it did not anticipate the overwhelming response, much of it mocking, garnered by a clip it posted of White House adviser Ivanka Trump interacting with world leaders, according to Politico.

Instead, it said, the short video was meant to showcase exchanges among officials at the Group of 20 (G-20) summit. An official with the Élysée said in a statement the French government often publishes videos of moments from international summits, Politico reported. 

{mosads}The official added the exchange including President Trump’s daughter “took place in the leaders’ lounge right before the sessions on gender equality of which Ivanka was one of the keynote speakers, so it wasn’t anything more than a moment of exchange like there were 100 more [of] with other leaders.”

The comments came as Democratic lawmaker and others denounced Ivanka Trump’s presence at the G-20 summit in Japan, an event that convened leaders from around the world.

The video many pointed to showed Ivanka Trump joining a discussion involving French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, British Prime Minister Theresa May and International Monetary Fund Chairwoman Christine Lagarde. 

Ivanka Trump appears to be trying to get involved in a talk among Macron, May, Trudeau and Lagarde (IMF head).
The video is released by French Presidential palace. pic.twitter.com/TJ0LULCzyQ

— Parham Ghobadi (@ParhamGhobadi) June 29, 2019

The full context of their conversation remains unclear. At one point, May can be heard saying, “As soon as you charge them with that economic aspect of it, a lot of people start listening who otherwise wouldn’t listen.”

“And the same with the defense side of it, in terms of the whole business that’s been, sort of, male-dominated,” Ivanka Trump responds. 

The official with the Élysée acknowledged the video was released at a time when there exists “a larger narrative in the U.S. about Ivanka’s diplomatic role and that goes beyond us, of course.”

But the official stressed that the French government had no intention of intruding into that narrative, Politico noted.

“We didn’t anticipate the reaction, and once again, we are not responsible for the use made of the clip,” the official said.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) condemned President Trump for bringing Ivanka Trump to the G-20 summit, saying that the move hurt America’s diplomatic standing. 

“It may be shocking to some, but being someone’s daughter actually isn’t a career qualification,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted after the video was released. “It hurts our diplomatic standing when the President phones it in & the world moves on.”

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) tweeted on Sunday that he “would like to hear Ivanka Trump’s explanation about this video,” before noting that she has blocked him on the social media platform. 

The hashtag “#UnwantedIvanka” also trended on Twitter on Monday morning after users began editing the White House adviser into iconic photos. 

Ivanka Trump has joined President Trump for his past two trips to the G-20 summit. She addressed efforts to elevate women in the workforce during a forum called the Special Event on Women’s Empowerment this year. 

“It is sad but not shocking that the haters choose to attack Ivanka Trump, a senior advisor to the President, when she is promoting U.S. efforts to empower women through strategic partnerships with world leaders,” Jessica Ditto, deputy White House communications director, said in a statement to The Hill. “The G20 and ROK [Republic of Korea] visits were substantive and historic. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership our country is more prosperous and secure.”