Ivanka Trump talks women in business with Justin Trudeau

Ivanka Trump talked about women in business with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President Donald Trump at a roundtable discussion in the White House on Monday. The first daughter briefly commented about the unique challenges that women in the workforce are dealing with.

During the meeting, Ivanka told a group of about a dozen business leaders that she is honoured to join their talk. “I’m looking forward to hearing from each of you 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 [about] how we level the playing field for this generation and for the next,” she said.

Business leaders of several companies like Trans Alta, Accenture North America and GE Canada have attended the meeting. Ivanka has recognised them as her role models.

The first daughter holds no formal role in the Trump administration but she participates in official events with her father. Her husband, Jared Kushner, is a senior adviser to the president.

But some are not impressed with Ivanka’s involvement in the roundtable discussion concerning women entrepreneurs. Richard Painter, a White House ethics lawyer under George W Bush, believes that it would be better if she will remain an outsider.

Painter said she is running the risk of mixing official business with her commercial enterprises. “She can’t be getting into stuff at the White House that affects her businesses, she better stay an outsider,” he said.

Before his daughter’s short talk, the president has kicked started the discussion by promising the launch of United States Canada Council for the Advancement of Women Business Leaders-Female Entrepreneurs. Trump has read a statement about their initiative for female entrepreneurs. Per CNN, these include growing women-owned businesses, supporting women who work and who have families and providing assistance to female entrepreneurs get better access to capital for their business.

Earlier this month, department store chain Nordstrom opted to drop Ivanka’s clothing and accessory line. The company said dropping her merchandise was due to a decline in sales. Luxury department store Neiman Marcus soon followed suit and dropped Ivanka’s jewellery line as well.

The president has reacted to Nordstrom’s decision on Twitter. “My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom,” he wrote. White House press secretary Sean Spicer publicly defended the president’s remarks, saying he has every right to defend his family.