The French presidential palace released a statement clarifying its rationale for posting a video of Ivanka Trump interjecting in a conversation among world leaders, including British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron. The French government also brushed off responsibility for the memes that were spurred by the footage.
“(The moment) took place in the leaders’ lounge right before the sessions on gender equality of which Ivanka was one of the keynote speakers, so it wasn’t anything more than a moment of exchange like there were 100 more (of) with other leaders,” a spokesperson said, according to Politico.
“We didn’t anticipate the reaction, and once again, we are not responsible for the use made of the clip,” the official reportedly said.
The clip earned a viral takedown by freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), which sparked a flurry of “#unwantedivanka” memes, showing the first daughter photoshopped into historic events she has no business being part of.
#unwantedivanka at Abby Road pic.twitter.com/UVG5dt2u38
— Phil Herbert (@phil_herbert) June 30, 2019
But @HelenKennedy’s #unwantedivanka is the best one. https://t.co/oH9hYE3tMS pic.twitter.com/nKVAtc0Vuu
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) July 1, 2019
This one is my favorite #UnwantedIvanka pic.twitter.com/mcuvoV96pW
— Empty Glass (@Send_Whiskey) July 1, 2019
Thanks for being there, Ivanka!#unwantedivanka pic.twitter.com/XuhTJ3PySf
— CVille Merton (@manningbrad) July 1, 2019
While President Trump regularly faces backlash for promoting nepotism by giving his daughter and son-in-law such prominent roles in the White House, that hasn’t stopped the President from publicly musing about giving Ivanka Trump gigs like the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.