US President Donald Trump meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
FEBRUARY 14, 201712:25PM
IVANKA Trump has been publicly attacked and her fashion line has suffered since her father won the US election.
But it hasn’t stopped her from showing just how much power she wields in the White House.
The daughter of US President Donald Trump posted a photo of herself on Instagram while sitting in her father’s chair in the Oval Office, the most powerful seat in the world.
Strategically placed in between her father, President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, she captioned the photo: “A great discussion with two world leaders about the importance of women having a seat at the table!”
Her personal photo comes after she was invited to attend meetings with her father and Trudeau in Washington DC.
“A great discussion with two world leaders about the importance of women having a seat at the table!” Picture: Ivanka Trump/InstagramSource:Instagram
President Trump offered an unapologetic defence of his travel ban during a joint news conference with Trudeau, saying the US “cannot let the wrong people in.”
Trudeau said it was not his place to come to the US and “lecture” Trump on it.
Both leaders did not attack each other, and focused on their shared goal of improving cross-border trade.
Trump called his executive order “common sense,” saying he would fight to keep “the wrong people” out.
TRUMP’S AWKWARD HANDSHAKE
PRESIDENT Donald Trump greeted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with a series of firm - and slightly awkward - handshakes during his visit to the White House.
The two leaders greeted each other with a long, slightly uncomfortable-looking handshake when Trudeau arrived in Washington, then they posed silently in front of photographers inside the Oval Office until Trump suggested they shake hands again for the cameras.
“I think they might want a handshake,” Trump said to Trudeau, during the exchange.
US President Donald Trump, right, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the slightly awkward photo opportunity. Picture: AFPSource:AFP
The leaders were all smiles (and handshakes) during a news conference in the East Room of the White House. Picture: APSource:AP
TRUMP ENLISTS IVANKA FOR CANADIAN PM MEETING
Meantime, Trump drafted his daughter Ivanka into his first-ever talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as his official inauguration portrait was pulled over a glaring typo.
The US president welcomed Mr Trudeau to the White House on Monday morning for talks on free trade and a round table discussion with female business leaders, including his daughter.
During the meeting, the US leader said the “system is not working so well for entrepreneurs” — particularly for women. Mr Trudeau added that having “women in business is a powerful leverage for success.”
As well as attending the meeting, Ivanka Trump helped recruit participants and set the agenda.
The mother-of-three’s fashion and accessories line has recently been dropped by a number of US retailers after her father blasted Nordstrom for treating her “unfairly”.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (left) speaks alongside Ivanka Trump during a roundtable discussion on women entrepreneurs and business leaders at the White House. Picture: AFP/Saul LoebSource:AFP
Following the round table, Mr Trump and Mr Trudeau delivered a joint press conference where they reinforced the importance of the US-Canada alliance and their “profound shared economic interests”.
Mr Trump said: “We have a very outstanding trade relationship with Canada. We will be tweaking it. We will be doing certain things that are going to benefit both of our countries.”
For his part, Mr Trudeau said the two nations — who with Mexico make up the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) — “will always remain each other’s most essential partner.”
Throughout his campaign and since his November election, Mr Trump has voiced his determination to put “America first” and rip up NAFTA, which he has said is a “catastrophe” for American jobs.
The agreement is very important for Canada — more than 75 per cent of its exports go to the US.
President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walk to lunch at the White House. Picture: APSource:AP
The two North American leaders, who have markedly different world views, were asked about immigration and national security.
The liberal Trudeau champions free trade and has welcomed 40,000 Syrian refugees. Mr Trump has taken a protectionist stance on trade and wants to crack down on the inflow of migrants and refugees.
When asked about how they will go forward with such differing views, Mr Trudeau said it was not his place to “lecture” different countries, but only serve as an example to other leaders.
However he vowed his country would continue to welcome refugees, even as Mr Trump defended his efforts to bar refugees from US soil as “common sense.”
President Donald Trump seemed to give Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a firm (and long) handshake. Picture: APSource:AP
“Canada has always understood that keeping Canadians safe is one of the fundamental responsibilities of any government,” Mr Trudeau said. “At the same time, we continue to pursue our policies of openness towards refugees without compromising security.”
TRUMP PORTRAIT YANKED OVER TYPO
The Library of Congress yanked Mr Trump’s official inauguration portrait from its online store over a glaring typo on the souvenir print.
The poster includes Mr Trump’s quote, “No dream is too big, no challenge is to (sic) great. Nothing we want for the future is beyond our reach.” “To” is misspelled in the first sentence.
The Library of Congress described the print as capturing “the essence of Donald Trump’s campaign for the presidency of the United States.”
Twitter users quickly spotted the error over the weekend and the item was removed. An archived version of the listing is accessible through the Internet Archive website.
The Library of Congress didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
It’s at least the third high-profile spelling error from the government of late. The Education Department misspelled the name of W.E.B. DuBois on Twitter on Sunday and mistyped again when apologising for the error.
PUTIN-TRUMP TALKS ‘POSSIBLE BEFORE JULY’
The Kremlin says there is talk of a possible meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Mr Trump taking place before a G20 summit in July, but there was nothing specific to report so far.
The two men have never met, but both have said they want to try to mend battered US-Russia ties, which fell to their lowest level since the Cold War after Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea.
US President Donald Trump has spoken fondly of Vladimir Putin. Picture: AFP/Molly RileySource:AFP
Russian President Vladimir Putin could meet Donald Trump before July. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied
FLYNN’S ‘DAYS COULD BE NUMBERED’
Embattled national security adviser Michael Flynn’s fate as one of President Trump’s senior aides is uncertain following reports that he discussed US sanctions with a Russian envoy before the inauguration.
A top White House official sidestepped repeated chances on Sunday to publicly defend him. The president has yet to comment on General Flynn’s status but reportedly told associates he is troubled by the situation.
Vice President Mike Pence also hasn’t commented. He previously denied that General Flynn had discussed sanctions with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the US.
General Flynn was a loyal Trump supporter during the campaign, but he is viewed sceptically by some in the administration’s national security circles, in part because of his ties to Russia.
On Friday, The Washington Post reported that General Flynn addressed sanctions against Russia in a call with Mr Kislyak. The report contradicted repeated denials from Trump officials.
General Flynn has since told administration officials that sanctions may have come up in the calls, which coincided with the Obama administration slapping penalties on Russia for election-related hacking. It’s illegal for private citizens to conduct US diplomacy.
National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s contact with Russia is under review. Picture: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, FileSource:AP
KELLYANNE CONWAY RESPONDS TO SNL PARODY
White House Counsellor Kellyanne Conway has responded to sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live after actress Kate McKinnon portrayed her as bunny-boiling film villain, Alex Forrest.
“Inquiring minds re: #SNL: @jaketapper & I spoke this morning just before brunch time. No boiling bunnies on the menu,” she tweeted.
The “boiling bunnies” remark references 1987 movie Fatal Attraction, in which Glenn Close’s character puts a pet bunny in a pot of boiling water to scare her lover.
TRUMP, ABE ‘DISCUSSED MISSILE PLAN IN PUBLIC’
Mr Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reportedly worked on a response to North Korea’s weekend missile test at a public table in a crowded dining room at the US president’s Florida club.
CNN reports Mr Trump found out about the launch during dinner at the Mar-a-Lago, with advisers to both leaders called over to join in a strategy discussion.
The network added that aides used mobile phone camera lights to illuminate documents brought to the table.
Guests posted a series of pictures and comments on Facebook describing the surprise meeting, although many of the photos were later deleted.
“HOLY MOLY !! It was fascinating to watch the flurry of activity at dinner when the news came that North Korea had launched a missile in the direction of Japan,” Facebook user Richard DeAgazio posted on Sunday afternoon.
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