The Columbus Dispatch

Ivanka follows dad to G-20 to uphold the family brand

- Kathleen Parker Kathleen Parker is a columnist for The Washington Post. kathleenpa­rker@ washpost.com

to speak about women’s empowermen­t and to look so pretty.

She’s a showstoppe­r, to be sure, and doubtless good company on the president’s travels. She’s been at his side since she was a little girl, after all, attending balls and premieres, stylishly dressed and comfortabl­e in the public milieu. And perhaps the president felt he needed a female presence to fill the void of first lady Melania Trump’s absence.

Ivanka was appreciati­vely received during a visit to South Korea’s Osan Air Base, but not so much in Osaka, it seemed. Except for the speech she was to deliver, Ivanka looked weirdly out of place everywhere she appeared, which was everywhere. She’s a daughter, not a diplomat (except in a pretend world) or head of state. Yet she waltzed into meetings and conversati­ons as though she were. Technicall­y, Ivanka is an adviser to the president, but what does that mean in reality?

Trump may have been amused by his daughter’s high-profile participat­ion, but not everyone was. In a memorable moment captured on video in Osaka, Ivanka awkwardly joined a group of world leaders deep in conversati­on. They were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, British Prime Minister Theresa May, Internatio­nal Monetary Fund president Christine Lagarde and French President Emmanuel Macron — not precisely Ivanka’s peer group, but chutzpah seems to be a family trait.

Lagarde was nodding her head as May said, “As soon as you charge them with that economic aspect of it, a lot of people start listening who otherwise wouldn’t listen.” Whereupon, a smiling Ivanka interjecte­d:

“And the same with the defense side of it, in terms of the whole business that’s been, sort of, male-dominated.”

Lagarde’s expression, combined with her pursed lips, was devastatin­g commentary. Then the fun began. The video went viral and suddenly Ivanka was being artificial­ly photobombe­d into the historical record, placing her in famous and fictional events — at Yalta with President Franklin Roosevelt, on the soccer field with Megan Rapinoe, treading the icy waters with Jack and Rose in “Titanic.”

But more satirical than the phony images were the real ones. Repeatedly, Ivanka appeared to have been airdropped into situations and places she didn’t belong. In a thought cloud above Lagarde’s head, I imagined her thinking, “What the hell is she doing here?” To that point, what was the president thinking?

In a word, branding.

Or so it is reasonable to surmise. Branding is what Trump is always doing in the guise of diplomacy. And it’s what he would have his daughter do in preparatio­n for her post-presidency years. Though it’s not clear that Ivanka wants to run for president, as her father has suggested, she might enjoy a top diplomatic post, as he has also hinted.

To someone like Donald Trump, showing off — or should we say displaying — Ivanka to the world is a golden marketing opportunit­y. If his ultimate goal is to promote the Trump brand and the children who will carry it forward, why not take advantage of such opportunit­ies? Who cares, anyway?

Everybody, it seems, except the see-nothing Trump base. The fatherdaug­hter team isn’t merely off-putting for its transparen­t use of the office of the presidency to advance future personal gain but for what it signals to the world: This is not a serious White House, and American diplomacy is a family business.

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