Ivanka catches hisses and boos in Germany
begin quote from:
Cillizza: She did what almost every other daughter would do
Crowd reacts to Ivanka's defense of dad 01:19
Washington (CNN)During an appearance on a panel discussion in Germany on Tuesday,
Ivanka Trump was booed and hissed at when she offered a defense of her
father's policies regarding paid leave for women in the workplace.
"That
is something I'm very proud of my father's advocacy, long before he
came into the presidency, he championed this in the primaries," Ivanka
Trump said of President Trump. "He's been a tremendous champion of
supporting families and enabling them to thrive."
She was interrupted at that point. She went on to add:
"I've
certainly heard the criticism from the media and that's been
perpetuated, but I know from personal experience, and I think the
thousands of women who have worked with and for my father for decades
when he was in the private sector are a testament to his belief and
solid conviction in the potential of women and their ability to do the
job as well as any man."
The
easiest course here would be to pillory Ivanka. After all, it's
indisputable that her father has said things, repeatedly, about women
that all people should acknowledge are unacceptable. His comments in the
"Access Hollywood" tape, his regular references to women as "pigs", and
his comments about Carly Fiorina's looks during the 2016 primaries have
zero defenders. And Donald Trump has apologized for a total of none of
them.
Trump's
actions as president also seem to be sending a very clear signal. He's
signed legislation taking aim at Planned Parenthood and other
organizations that provide abortions. He' also rolled back the 2014 Fair
Pay and Safe Workplaces order signed by President Obama.
But,
it's important to remember that Ivanka is, first and foremost, her
father's daughter. As such, she is going to defend him -- as would
almost every daughter in any situation in which her dad is
under attack. And, whatever you think of the Trumps, it's beyond debate
that they are a very close-knit family who always sticks together.
Then
there is the fact that Ivanka Trump spent the entire campaign insisting
that she had seen her father up close more than any of his critics and
knew for a fact that he was committed to workplace equality and to
helping women thrive. To walk away from that view would be to abandon
what she spent the last 18 months telling us about her dad based on her
own firsthand experiences.
Make
no mistake: The sentiment that Ivanka heard today in Germany has been
and will be echoed throughout her father's presidency -- particularly
given her new, formal role as a White House adviser. The seeming
contradiction of a powerful businesswoman defending her father despite
mountains of evidence that he isn't great to or for women has already come in for mockery from "Saturday Night Live."
And,
there's ample evidence in the electorate that women view Donald Trump
with deep suspicion. He lost the female vote to Hillary Clinton by 13
points in 2016 and 50 percent of all women said Trump's treatment of
women bothered them "a lot," according to exit polls.
You
can hate Donald Trump's views on and treatment of women -- and lots of
people do! But, to expect Ivanka Trump to publicly condemn her father or
his record on women's issues is a bridge too far. It's impossible for
us to know what Ivanka Trump does (or doesn't do) to influence her
father's views behind the scenes. And, because of that -- and the fact
that she is his daughter! -- booing her for defending her dad is poor
form.
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