French say oops on viral Ivanka moment [View all]

[DonViejo]

'We didn’t anticipate the reaction,' a French official said after a video released by the French government fueled concern about Ivanka Trump's role in U.S. foreign policy.

By RYM MOMTAZ and NAHAL TOOSI 07/01/2019 01:52 PM EDT

BRUSSELS — The French presidency is feeling a tad awkward after a video it posted of Ivanka Trump’s seemingly stilted interactions with foreign leaders went viral and spawned mockery, insisting that it “didn’t anticipate the reaction.”

The video caught Ivanka Trump in a discussion with world leaders during her father President Donald Trump’s recent visit to the G-20 summit. And it has fueled concern that the president’s daughter is having undue influence on U.S. foreign policy.

In the clip, Ivanka Trump is shown trying to engage in a talk with a handful of foreign leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund.

The full context of the conversation isn’t clear, but at one point, British Prime Minister Theresa May says: “As soon as you charge them with that economic aspect of it, a lot of people start listening who otherwise wouldn’t listen.”

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https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/01/france-ivanka-trump-reaction-1392084