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Monday, November 9, 2026Nov 9

Melania, Ivanka have starring roles in Trump’s foreign trip

Ivanka Trump, daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, left, attends a working session at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany, Saturday, July 8, 2017. The leaders of the group of 20 meet July 7 and 8. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
Ivanka Trump, daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, left, attends a working session at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany, Saturday, July 8, 2017. The leaders of the group of 20 meet July 7 and 8. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) Ivanka Trump, daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, left, attends a working session at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany, Saturday, July 8, 2017. The leaders of the group of 20 meet July 7 and 8. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) – Why, yes, that was Ivanka Trump briefly filling her father’s seat at the Group of 20 summit, an international gathering that turned out to be quite the family affair for the Trumps.

The president’s daughter attracted particular attention after a member of the Russian delegation tweeted a photograph of her sitting in her father’s chair during an official summit event on Saturday.

A White House official said the president had stepped out of the room and that Ivanka Trump, a senior adviser, moved forward from the back of the room when the head of the World Bank discussed topics particularly relevant to her. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private meeting.

Ivanka Trump also headlined her own event at the G-20 that attracted a lineup of world leaders. First lady Melania Trump also had a notable G-20 role. She was spotted at more than one of the president’s bilateral meetings. Jared Kushner, Ivanka’s husband and a senior adviser, also was present in a number of the president’s meeting.

It’s all part of Trump’s family-focused governing style that takes its cues from his decades running a family business.