Merkel Defends Ivanka Trump's Presence at G-20 Meetings

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday defended Ivanka Trump taking her father's place at some of the G-20 meetings over the weekend, Bloomberg News reported.  

"The delegations themselves decide, should the president not be present for a meeting, who will then take over and sit in the chair," Merkel said at a news conference.

"Ivanka Trump was part and parcel of the American delegation so that is something that other delegations also do. It's very well known that she works at the White House and is also engaged in certain initiatives."

Ivanka Trump, who serves as an unpaid adviser in the White House, sat in on meetings when her father, President Donald Trump, stepped away for one-on-one meetings with other world leaders. 

A White House official told AFP that Ivanka had been at the back of the room but "briefly joined the main table when the president had to step out."

That occurred when "the president of the World Bank started talking as the topic involved areas such as African development — areas that will benefit from the facility just announced by the World Bank."

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Ivanka Trump has sat in on meetings in the past with President Trump on issues she cares about.

"She's got her certain issues that she focuses on, and when those things come up, then that's where she is and that's what she likes to focus on," Haley said during an interview with CBS's "Face the Nation" scheduled to be broadcast Sunday.

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