Ivanka Trump's India visit raises questions
She fails to address alleged labor abuses about her brand.
Ivanka Trump described the hurdles faced by women during a speech Tuesday at a business conference in India, which is treating her trip like a royal visit.
But her solo outing also highlighted questions about whether her message of empowering poor women matches her actions.
Trump’s speech at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in the city of Hyderabad was broadcast live throughout India by major news channels. A buildup worthy of a Bollywood musi- cal included cultural references that ranged from inde- pendence leader Mahatma Gandhi to the movie “Slumdog Millionaire.”
The city had cleared away beggars and filled potholes ahead of the visit by Trump,
the daughter of President Donald Trump and a senior presidential adviser.
“As a former entrepreneur, employer and executive in a male-dominated industry,
I’ve seen firsthand that all too often women must do more than their male counterparts to prove themselves at work, while also dispro- portionately caring for their
families at home,” Trump said in her speech.
But the conference’s focus on female entrepreneurs raises questions about some of the commercial decisions made by Trump and her namesake brand.
Critics have faulted her for failing to use her leadership role to call out labor and human rights abuses, particularly in China, where the bulk of her U.S. merchandise ships from. They point out that she has failed to take a public stand on alleged abuses in her brand’s own supply chain.
Trump stepped back from day-to-day management of her brand before taking on an official role as White House adviser, but she still retains an ownership interest.
“After my father’s elec- tion, I saw an opportunity to leave my businesses for the privilege of serving our country, and empowering all Americans to succeed,” she said in the speech.
Abigail Klem, president of the Ivanka Trump brand, has called supply chain integrity “a top priority,” but the brand has not joined the growing number of compa- nies that publicly identify their manufacturers.
A September investigation by The Associated Press showed that Trump’s supply chain has become more opaque than ever since she took on her White House role, making it impossible to know whom her company is doing business with around the world. The brand has said supply chains are the responsibility of its licensees.
Earlier this month, 23 rights groups signed a letter urging Trump, her brand and two licensees to publish the names and addresses of suppliers.
They also urged Trump and her brand to publicly demand that the Chinese government not prosecute three activists detained this past summer while investigating the brand’s supply chain, and allow independent monitoring of factories.
Trump was joined at Tuesday’s conference by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“What you are achieving here is truly extraordinary,” Trump said. “From your childhood selling tea to your election as India’s prime minister, you’ve proven that transformational change is possible.”
More than 1,200 people were attending the threeday conference.