Ivanka Trump Booed and Hissed at Berlin Summit, Says She is "Used to It"

No matter what, Ivanka Trump usually maintains her poise.

In her first international trip as an official representative of the United States in Berlin Tuesday, she was asked series of tough questions. Miriam Meckel first asked her to define her role in President Donald Trump's administration, then to defend his feelings towards women.

Miriam, editor-in-chief of WirtschaftsWoche, moderated a panel discussion during the W20 Summit. Ivanka was on stage with Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund; Queen Maxima of the Netherlands also participated.

At the beginning of the Q&A, Miriam asked Ivanka about her position. "You are the first daughter of the United States, and you are also an assistant to the President. The German populace is not that familiar with the concept of a First Daughter," she said. "I would like to ask you: What is your role, and who’re you representing—your father as president of the United State, your business or the American people?"

"Ivanka replied. "I am rather unfamiliar with this role as well. It has been a little under 100 days, and it has just been a incredible and remarkable journey."

While Ivanka didn’t explicitly define what her role as a senior White House official entails, she said she cares so much "about empowering women in the workplace" and "aims to bring about "incremental positive change. That is my goal. This is very early for me. I am listening and learning."

Ivanka continued, "I am defining the ways in which I think I will be able to have impact."

Calling herself a "feminist," Ivanka said, "I am striving to think about how best to empower women in the economy. I have no doubt that coming out of this trip I will be more informed."

After Ivanka praised Donald for supporting paid-leave policies, the audience   hissed and booed at the First Daughter. "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," Ivanka said as the crowd jeered. "I think in my personal experience—and you were asking me about my role as daughter and as an adviser—as a daughter, I can speak on a very personal level believing that he encouraged me and enabled me to thrive."

Miriam called attention to the room, saying, "You heard the reaction from the audience."

The moderator did not let Ivanka off the hook. "I need to address one more point—some attitudes toward women your father has displayed might leave one questioning whether he is such an empowerer for women," Miriam said of Donald, who has been accused of assault, sexual misconduct and unwanted advances by more than a dozen women claims he has repeatedly denied. Ivanka did not address the accusations during his campaign, and that did not change in Berlin: "I have certainly heard the criticism from the media that has been perpetuated."

Ivanka focused on her own experiences with Donald. "I grew up in a house where there was no barrier to what I could accomplish beyond my own perseverance and tenacity. That is not an easy thing to do; he provided that for us," she said of being raised by a billionaire business mogul . Ivanka added that he treated her the same as her brothers, Donald Trump. 

 Eric Trump and Jr, who currently run the family business together: "There was no difference."

Asked later about the booing, Ivanka told reporters, "Politics is politics."

"I am used to it; it is fine. I think, for me—and I sort of said it at the end—I think what is so important is we have to be able to engage in dialogue with one another and we have to be able to have different viewpoints and feel comfortable candidly expressing ourselves without fear of being labeled and ostracized," Ivanka, 35, argued. "I think that is how progress is made."