Russian G20 Assistant Tweets, Deletes Picture of Ivanka Trump sitting in for Donald Trump During G20 Session

Ivanka “Tries to Stay out of Politics,” She’s Said 

Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and an unelected top White House aide, took Donald Trump’s place amongst other world leaders at the G20 summit in Hamburg on Saturday.

In a now-deleted photo by Svetlana Lukash, a self-identified G20 Russian Sherpa (a civil servant or diplomat who undertakes preparatory political work), Ivanka Trump is seen sitting beside Chinese President Xi Jinping, British Prime Minister Theresa May, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The photo sparked criticism across social media, and although it’s now been deleted, the Internet is forever:

A senior Trump administration official confirmed that Ivanka, who just last month advised she tries “to stay out of politics,” sat in for the president, who had left to attend bilateral meetings. Should the president need to leave a G20 session, he or she is typically replaced by a member of their cabinet.

“Ivanka was sitting in the back and then briefly joined the main table when [Donald Trump] had to step out,” the official said. “When other leaders stepped out, their seats were also briefly filled by others.”

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