Ivanka Trump Jeered When Touting Father as Champion for Women, Families

Ivanka Trump has touted herself and her father as advocates for women, but the attendees at a forum for women leaders in Berlin on Tuesday clearly weren't buying it.

Appearing on a panel that included German Chancellor Angela Merkel and International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde, Trump called her father "a tremendous champion of supporting families and enabling them to thrive," leading to groans and hisses from the audience, The New York Times reports.

"You hear the reaction from the audience," said moderator Miriam Meckel, editor in chief of WirtschaftsWoche, a German business magazine. "I need to address one more point. Some attitudes toward women your father has displayed might leave one questioning whether he's such an empowerer for women."

Ivanka Trump then blamed the media, saying, "I've certainly heard the criticism from the media, that's been perpetuated," and several members of the audience laughed.

Many of Donald Trump's actions could lead people to question his support for women and families. There was the infamous Access Hollywood tape, in which he bragged about grabbing women by the genitalia. As president, he has made it easier for states to deny funding to Planned Parenthood, revoked U.S. aid to any international family planning organization that even abortion, and rescinded a regulation that requires employer transparency about wages. And his proposed budget would cut funding for many programs that assist low-income families.

During the presidential campaign, Ivanka Trump helped craft a parental leave proposal focusing on mothers as primary caregivers for children, largely ignoring that fathers could play this role. She and her husband, Jared Kushner, were key advisers to her father during the campaign and have remained so since he has been president.

Last month, Donald Trump got off to an awkward start with Merkel, one of the most powerful women in the world. When they met at the White House, "Trump appeared to ignore Merkel's request to shake his hand," USA Today notes. Later, though, he claimed he and Merkel "had unbelievable chemistry" despite their differences on issues such as NATO funding and immigration.