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You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / Open Thread: But HER HAIR WAS PERFECT

Open Thread: But HER HAIR WAS PERFECT

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The Washington Post:

… The first daughter was spotted slipping into Trump’s seat at a working session on “Partnership with Africa, Migration and Health,” putting her shoulder to shoulder with British Prime Minister Theresa May. Russian President Vladimir Putin was sitting one seat down.

Trump’s presence at the high-level table was somewhat unusual, given that government ministers or senior officials are typically the ones called to stand in for heads of state at such sessions. But she is both the president’s daughter and an unpaid “assistant to the president” who focuses on issues of women’s empowerment and workplace development, and she maintains broad influence in the administration…

It isn’t the first time Ivanka Trump has participated in high-level meetings at the summit. On Thursday night, she and her husband, Jared Kushner, another Trump adviser, joined the president at a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Kushner also participated in Trump’s bilateral meeting with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Friday.

Asked about Ivanka Trump’s presence at the table on Saturday, Merkel did not weigh in on whether it was appropriate, but she said that the decisions about who sits at the table should be left to the American delegation…

Coda – Shut up, Donnie, we think even less of you than your daddy does:

Reader Interactions

102Comments

  1. 1.

    germy

    this is a bad dream. It’s as if Leona Helmsley or Herman Cain won the election. Bad satire.

  2. 2.

    Villago Delenda Est

    We fought a motherfucking revolution to be rid of this shit.

    Can you imagine the howls of outrage if Hillary had Chelsea sit in for her at some ministerial meeting?

  3. 3.

    Baud

    I remember when the media was worried about what Bill Clinton’s role would be. Good times.

  4. 4.

    germy

    President Trump announced on Saturday that the U.S. was pledging $50 million to Ivanka’s entrepreneurship fund, however. He also, while praising his daughter’s efforts on the program, commented that, “If she weren’t my daughter it would be so much easier for her. That might be the only bad thing she has going, if you want to know the truth.”

  5. 5.

    Kay

    Donald Trump Jr. ✔ @DonaldJTrumpJr
    If the left is so “outraged” about Ivanka sitting in for a few minutes, maybe they’d be happier if I sub in for a while???

    Yeah! fuck you, citizens! The Trumps do what they want to do. Weren’t we told over and over these people have a business? Why don’t they ever seem to be working?

  6. 6.

    Downpuppy

    Seriously, who’s the chief of staff running this clownshow? Basic scheduling work is not supposed to be beyond the capacity of the White House staff.

  7. 7.

    schrodingers_cat

    This worse than Indian politics which can be a cesspool of nepotism. At least, the relatives of the leaders bother to get elected first. T has no respect for democracy.

  9. 9.

    lumpkin

    Boy howdy that was one sick burn by T junior. Or a dank meme or something clever anyway. Yep.

  10. 10.

    different-church-lady

    I’m so old I can remember when republicans were OUTRAGED at the idea of a president’s relatives involved in the administration.

  13. 13.

    Kay

    @germy:

    Yeah, it’s all sacrifice for the Trumps. It’s such bullshit. If her life was so fabulous she wouldn’t have dropped the entire thing to move to DC and play-act as a diplomat.

    The nepotism is disgusting. It’s unseemly. It’s taking advantage of the public. If she doesn’t know that she’s not as bright as he keeps saying she is. No one should have to tell her not to do this. A person with a normal sized ego and some real life experience would know better.

  14. 14.

    Kay

    @different-church-lady:

    They also lied about it. The Trumps assured us they would not be working in the White House. They knew it was a lie when they said it- the plans were already in motion.

  15. 15.

    Major Major Major Major

    If the left is so “outraged” about Ivanka sitting in for a few minutes, maybe they’d be happier if I sub in for a while??? LMK ????

    Telling that he seems to think the issue is her gender.

  16. 16.

    bystander

    I think Ivanka’s Sparkle Plenty looks add a je ne sais quoi to the proceedings.

  17. 17.

    Brachiator

    @germy:

    President Trump announced on Saturday that the U.S. was pledging $50 million to Ivanka’s entrepreneurship fund, however.

    Government money. Going to his daughter’s fund.

    I can’t even. I mean. Wait. WTF.

    And the first time I quickly read through it, I assumed that Trump was making a personal contribution out of his own pocket. But of course, he would never do that. Not with his own money.

    And his supporters cheer him on when he does this.

  25. 25.

    Kay

    Daniel Dale‏Verified account @ddale8 58m58 minutes ago
    Donald Jr. says it was about adoption:

    And this is bullshit too. If Manafort cares about “adoption” I’ll eat my hat. The dope got used and Manafort is the one who used him.

    It’s an interesting story. Layered. Someone in law enforcement might want to look into it- Don Jr. says an “acquaintance” set it up. That’s a very careful word. I wonder who the acquaintance was?

  26. 26.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Kay: Did you see the ICE memo from February, they are too deporting everyone they can, even children fleeing violence who are in the last stages of the GC process are being deported.

  28. 28.

    Brachiator

    @Baud:

    .Is it a private fund or one of her special projects as an unpaid employee?

    Even if totally legitimate, there is something about Trump using the US government like his personal piggy bank to make his little girl happy that enrages me.

  32. 32.

    Chris

    @schrodingers_cat:

    It’s not supposed to make sense. It’s just something you say to excuse every autocratic, kleptocratic, dynastic, anti-representative-government move made by any Republican politician.

  33. 33.

    JPL

    @Kay: This is from the same article

    An infuriated Mr. Putin has called the law an “outrageous act,” and, in addition to banning American adoptions, compiled what became known as an “anti-Magnitsky” blacklist of United States citizens.
    Among those blacklisted was Preet Bharara, then the United States district attorney in Manhattan, who led high-profile convictions of Russian arms and drug dealers.

    A friend wonders if Preet was fired on Putin’s instruction. hmm

  35. 35.

    Kay

    Daniel W. Drezner‏Verified account @dandrezner 1h1 hour ago
    More
    Hey @DonaldJTrumpJr, I’m confused. If this wasn’t a campaign meeting then why have Paul Manafort attend?

    Because Don Jr. is lying? Now there’s a shocker.

    Also- Kushner needs a better lawyer. She says Kushner met with many people “during the transition”. This wasn’t “during the transition”, unless “the transition” started before the election, which it may have for all we know.

  37. 37.

    Immanentize

    @Kay: These guys blab way too much. I am sure some “law enforcement” is looking into it, otherwise, we would never have heard about it.

  38. 38.

    Kay

    @JPL:

    A friend wonders if Preet was fired on Putin’s instruction. hmm

    Oh, probably, but why not? They won. The Trumps won and that means they can do anything they want. Apparently no one can stop them. I don’t really know because no one even tries!

  39. 39.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Telling that he seems to think the issue is her gender.

    He also seems to assume it’s a choice only between Ivanka and Don Jr., whereas the choice is actually between Ivanka and not-Ivanka.

  40. 40.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Kay: The one and only thing Paul Fucking Manafort has ever cared about is Paul Manafort.

  42. 42.

    Kay

    @Immanentize:

    Daniel W. Drezner‏Verified account @dandrezner 1h1 hour ago
    Hey @DonaldJTrumpJr, I’m confused. If this wasn’t a campaign meeting then why have Paul Manafort attend?

    Boy, Kushner’s lawyer stays busy making excuses for him. She must be raking it in.

  44. 44.

    JPL

    @Kay: Maybe Adam will weigh in about the NYTimes article, because it’s unusual to meet with those connected to the Kremlin two weeks after the republican convention. Nothing is normal though.

    As others online have mentioned, why was Manafort there to discuss adoption.

  47. 47.

    bemused

    Everyone in that family is a pretty dim bulb and they’ve only utilized the brain cells they do have in skeevy endeavors. I remember a book called Emotional Intelligence or something like that. They fail bigly in that dept.

    Putin’s advisor said Putin is a bigger alpha male than Donald. Oh snap.

  48. 48.

    Kay

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Yeah, right. In June of a hotly contested Presidential campaign the principals of the campaign all sat down at a special meeting to discuss foreign adoptions. They don’t even lie well. It’s insulting.

  49. 49.

    ThresherK

    Went to the blueberry place and picked four pints of them (high-bush, not the little wild ones) about as fast as my hands could move. Barely had to bend, hardly had to walk.

    Defrosting puff pastry for festivities later.

  52. 52.

    Kay

    @JPL:

    Oh, please. The most powerful people in the campaign all took time out for a one on one meeting on adoption? A meeting they all attended? He’s lying.

  53. 53.

    bemused

    @Baud:

    Sure is. Putin’s puppet. It will be interesting to see if donald tweets a response or not.

  54. 54.

    debbie

    @Kay:

    Depends on what kind of adoption you’re talking about. Why presume children were involved? He might have wanted to adopt Russian tactics to steal an election, just as a single example.

  55. 55.

    JPL

    ABC news Don Jr. said the meeting was primarily about adoption, and a source familiar said the campaign wasn’t discussed. I find it odd that Don Jr. didn’t deny it himself.
    Don Jr. could have a problem because he doesn’t know what Manafort told the feds and is treading waters.

  56. 56.

    HeleninEire

    Netflixing Mad Men. Avoided it when it came out. Was worried about how the women were treated back then. Thought it would make me SCREAM. So the least few seasons I binged cuz it was ending. LOVED the women and how they responded to those stupid men. So happy to see how it all started.

  58. 58.

    Iowa Old Lady

    Ivanka being there is like the dept chairs at my university all meeting to discuss something crucial and the guy from my dept sending a work-study student in his place. Only the student would have to be his kid working a summer job.

  59. 59.

    debbie

    @HeleninEire:

    I thought it was a great series. My father was in advertising (a few years later than Mad Men), but I remember the drinking, the pretty secretaries, etc. I say, “Yay for Joan!”

  61. 61.

    Suzan

    I hate her but I’m not sure she’s a mean as her Dad. Maybe we’re better off with her at the table. He’d just fall asleep and f it all up.

  62. 62.

    ThresherK

    @HeleninEire: Spousal ThresherK didn’t cotton to it because she saw too much of that up close. (At the time of the show, she was in middle and high school, but her point about the sexism crossing all strata is true).

    I had more a taste for it because it didn’t strike a raw nerve for me.

    PS She never got near “A Man Walks into an Advertising Agency”. I really don’t know if she can handle it.

  63. 63.

    Brachiator

    @Immanentize:

    The key word is Pledge. He knows that he doesn’t have to fulfill any pledges.

    Even so. He is playing ego games with the government’s money, making it all about him and his family, obscuring the worthiness of the program involved.

  64. 64.

    JPL

    @Kay: Don’t you remember all the time the Trump’s brought up adoption during the campaign?

    me neither.

  65. 65.

    Spanky

    @Major Major Major Major: Don’t take it personally. The lies are aimed at their low IQ base who’ll believe it no matter what.

    They don’t care what you think. Not sure I’m insulted by that or not. Part of me says “Fine! There are people paying attention that you should care about if you were smart.”

    But they’re not. Guess I’m still hoping for Fitzmas.

  68. 68.

    Sherparick

    @schrodingers_cat: I think Trump and the ironically named “Republican Party” think they pretty much established a monarchy on 8 November. The authoritarians on the right openly speak of Trump as an emperor and God’s anointed. From the get go Trump and his family have viewed his election as basically a merger of the U.S. Government into Trump Enterprises. Hence why Trump feels such little need for the State Department.

  69. 69.

    Aleta

    Turns out that running government like a business means nepotism is natural, paying for admission expected, and profit is the decider.

    eta Oh, first family branding too. They took over the presidency, so now it’s their business.

  70. 70.

    No Drought No More

    Her presence at the table today was meant to establish her WH credentials so daddy-kins can more plausibly declare executive privilege, that is once the indictments begin to fall, and impeachment proceedings of Trump & Pence begin.

    Or will it be Pence, then Trump?

    I hope the stupid bastards do try to brazen it out, just to see what happens to them.

  71. 71.

    Ruckus

    I think we’ve reached the point most rabid conservatives want us to be at.
    The “I just can’t any more,” stage.
    This is just so ridiculous on it’s face and there really isn’t any way for the majority to do jack shit about it. We have no mechanism to do anything other than wait for the legal system to wind it’s way along, slowly and hopefully forward. The drumpfs are the people that flat earthers would want to rule. People with no touch to the reality that we live in, with no idea that the world could and should be better. Only the idea that they should be richer.

  72. 72.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    If the left is so “outraged” about Ivanka sitting in for a few minutes, maybe they’d be happier if I sub in for a while??? LMK

    He really is beyond just stupid, isn’t he?

  73. 73.

    TS

    @Downpuppy:

    Seriously, who’s the chief of staff running this clownshow? Basic scheduling work is not supposed to be beyond the capacity of the White House staff.

    And where was Trump while this was happening? His afternoon nap? A round of golf?

    Presidenting is so hard

  77. 77.

    Miss Bianca

    @ThresherK: That’s the one episode I’m pretty sure I’d skip if it came to watching “Mad Men” again. That one gave me nightmares. Altho’ I almost gave up after the first episode, to be honest – I couldn’t watch “The Apartment”, which everyone I know says is so great, because of the rank sexism of the premise, and the first episode really reminded me of that movie. I hung in there, tho’, and ended up really liking the show. Still haven’t finished all the seasons, tho’…I think I got thru’ season 5 or 6 before my attention turned to other things.

  78. 78.

    Gravenstone

    @Suzan: Frankly, he’d far less of an embarrassment and national threat if he did simply fall asleep at these things.

  81. 81.

    Kay

    So I’m gonna step up my calls to Portman Monday. I’m sure his staff are very excited about that, to hear from me. Someone told me he will be one of three it will come down to- I haven’t counted – I have no idea if this is true.

    I use the names of places rather than anecdotes about people- I say the name of the hospital, the nursing home(s), the schools. I feel like that is better than “little Johnny has a preexisting condition” because facility names imply a big group of people, which it should, because it is.

    I feel lucky :)

  83. 83.

    Aleta

    One moment the WH is explaining that Ivanka sat down because Trump had to step away for a moment. Then — a happy confluence of architected moments! — we hear Ivanka’s prepared propaganda about her successful merger of the World Bank with her never-before-now ideas about women and the economy. She deeply understands and explains this breakthrough.

    And now — @germy: says the (“oppressively taxed” -DJTJr) US people are giving her $50 mil to set up the labor force for Ivanka Spa’s Curated Moments with Teas from trademarked Chinese tea farms or something.

  84. 84.

    debbie

    @Kay:

    Don’t forget to ask him how it feels to bully and bust disabled constituents. Did he get a little tingly?

  86. 86.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @debbie:

    I lived in NYC during the “Mad Men” years and was peripherally part of that milieu (didn’t work for an ad agency, but did work for a then-huge international corporation in a division that did a lot of retail advertising). But I still haven’t watched the last two seasons, and at this point can barely remember the first several. Own the entire series on DVD and will have me a nice binge, maybe next winter when we’re snowed in or something.

  87. 87.

    JMG

    @Kay: That’s smart. Kay, I’m not sure if it comes down to Portman or not. He seems to me to be in the category of not wanting to be the deciding vote either way, but ready to jump on the winning side in a heartbeat.

  90. 90.

    Mike in NC

    Bannon was penciled in to attend the meeting for Trump, but was drunk on his ass.

  91. 91.

    ThresherK

    @Miss Bianca: It is one of the things a person doesn’t expect. Damn Consumer Safety Product Commission and their nanny-state guards!

  92. 92.

    Miss Bianca

    @ThresherK: Wasn’t it someone here who commented that those “regulations that strangle business” are usually written in blood?

  93. 93.

    debbie

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    A high school friend’s mom worked for my dad as a copywriter. There was a divorce, she lost the children, and she moved to NYC. She met a guy and they opened a small ad shop that, considering their life style, was very successful. When I moved there, I visited them often. Their picture window was the perfect frame for Macy’s fireworks on July 4th. They both drank copious amounts of scotch and told mountains of industry stories. I wish she’d lived to see Mad Men; she was Joan without the babydoll voice.

  94. 94.

    HeleninEire

    @Baud: Having seen only the last 3 seasons, the first…and then on, look really interesting.

    I’ll give it up when I am officially your SIP; h/t SiubhanDuinne, Special Envoy to Irish Pubs. So many pubs, not enough time.

  96. 96.

    John Fremont

    @Brachiator: I remember when conservatives would rip on libetals about Democratic policies always being about spending other people’s money on their pet causes.

  98. 98.

    HeleninEire

    Also too Robert Morse!!!! I had no idea. “How to Succeed in Business Without Even Trying”. Great hire.

  99. 99.

    rikyrah

    @HeleninEire:

    Netflixing Mad Men. Avoided it when it came out. Was worried about how the women were treated back then.

    try being Non-white and watching Mad Men.

    Seasons 1-3 were some of the best television ever.
    4 was eh
    5 was wretched
    6 began the climb out of the hole of 5.
    If they had ended 7 halfway through the season, I would have been very content.
    As it is…loved the last 3 of the last half. The ending was wonderful.

  100. 100.

    HeleninEire

    @rikyrah: Yes. When they started to sing “I’d like to teach the world to sing” a song from my childhood by the way. And watching Don think “I can sell that” was beautiful.

    But I need to see how he got there.

  102. 102.

    debbie

    @rikyrah:

    I don’t understand why you liked him either. A toadying yes-man and very deceitful with his wife.

    @HeleninEire:

    You do need to see the entirety of Don’s back story to understand why he is the way he is. I thought that was the best part of the series, the way his past unfolded.

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