--- title: Donald Trump Calls Ivanka Trump G20 Seat 'Very Standard' description: Trump tweeted Monday that he asked his daughter and White House aide Ivanka to fill his seat at the summit and it was "very standard." canonical: https://time.com/4851103/donald-trump-ivanka-g20-summit-seat/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-07-10T12:41:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:22:24.844Z article:section: Politics og:title: 'Very Standard.' Donald Trump Defends Ivanka's G20 Seat-Filling og:description: "I asked Ivanka to hold seat. Very standard. Angela M agrees!" og:url: https://time.com/4851103/donald-trump-ivanka-g20-summit-seat/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8c62ec7d5bfddc62/6988d503e76ad2a56d62e429/gettyimages-810661278.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4500 og:image:height: 2531 og:image:alt: G20 Hamburg Summit: Day 2 Of Sessions og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'Very Standard.' Donald Trump Defends Ivanka's G20 Seat-Filling twitter:description: "I asked Ivanka to hold seat. Very standard. Angela M agrees!" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8c62ec7d5bfddc62/6988d503e76ad2a56d62e429/gettyimages-810661278.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Very Standard.' Donald Trump Defends Ivanka's G20 Seat-Filling > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=d6fa034d-275c-4f62-b791-847953088c9a&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Donald Trump Defends Ivanka's G20 Seat-Filling [Watch (HLS stream): Donald Trump Defends Ivanka's G20 Seat-Filling](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/jlx53mTK.m3u8) (1:52)  _Published 2017-07-10. President Donald Trump is dismissing complaints about his daughter and White House aide Ivanka Trump filling his seat in a meeting with world leaders at the G20 summit on Saturday._ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jul 10, 2017 12:41 PM UTC by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jul 10, 2017 12:41 PM UTC [President Donald Trump](http://time.com/tag/donald-trump/) is dismissing complaints about his daughter and White House aide Ivanka Trump filling his seat in a meeting with world leaders at the G20 summit on Saturday. “When I left Conference Room for short meetings with Japan and other countries, I asked Ivanka to hold seat. Very standard. Angela M agrees!” [Trump tweeted](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/884374529660903424) early Monday, referencing statements German Chancellor Angela Merkel made at a press conference at the close of the summit. > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/884374529660903424) “The delegations decide who will sit at the table if the President isn’t there, which can happen from time to time. And Ivanka belongs to the U.S. delegation,” Merkel said, according to a [Reuters report](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-germany-worldbank-women-idUSKBN19T0IO). “It’s well known that she works in the White House and is responsible for several initiatives.” Ivanka’s seating at the meeting of world leaders drew sharp criticism online. Typically, a secretary of state, foreign minister, or other senior official would fill in for a leader at the summit. A European official told the [Washington _Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ivanka-trump-takes-fathers-seat-at-g-20-leaders-table-in-break-from-diplomatic-protocol/2017/07/08/f8eabe8a-63ea-11e7-a6c7-f769fa1d5691%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.c954a6e0975c) that her appearance “stuck out.” The official added, “The very fact that his daughter is senior adviser smacks of the kind of nepotism not seen since John F. Kennedy named Robert F. Kennedy as Attorney General.” Others [took to Twitter to condemn](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/07/08/unelected-unqualified-the-internets-reaction-to-ivanka-trump-taking-her-dads-seat-at-g-20/?utm%5Fterm=.77cafe6bd211) Ivanka Trump’s appearance, calling her “unelected and unqualified” and joking that the G20 is not “take your daughter to work day.” Ivanka didn’t just serve as a seat-filler during the summit. She also joined World Bank leaders to launch a public-private loan program designed to help female entrepreneurs in developing countries. President Trump [praised Ivanka during the summit](http://time.com/4850352/donald-trump-ivanka-fatherhood-hamburg-germany/), saying that the only “bad thing” she has going for her may be the fact that she’s his daughter. On Monday, Trump tweeted that if his former opponent Hillary Clinton had tapped her daughter to fill in for her at the summit, the reaction would be different. “If Chelsea Clinton were asked to hold the seat for her mother,” he tweeted, “the Fake News would say CHELSEA FOR PRES!” > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/884378624660582405) That tweet prompted a response from Chelsea Clinton, who wrote, “Good morning Mr. President. It would never have occurred to my mother or my father to ask me. Were you giving our country away? Hoping not.” > [](https://twitter.com/ChelseaClinton/status/884388123748315138) ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] The delegations themselves decide Should the president not be present for a meeting, who will then take over and sit in the chair. Ivanka Trump was part and parcel of the American delegation, so that is something that other delegations also do and it is very well known she works in the white house and she also is engaged in certain initiatives [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] If she weren't my daughter, it would be so much easier for her. It might be the only bad thing she has going if you want to know the truth. But I'm very proud of Ivanka who's been a forceful advocate for landmark women entrepreneurs. 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