Know the awkward pain of Ivanka Trump trying to converse with world leaders at G20

Yikes.
By Adam Rosenberg  on 
Know the awkward pain of Ivanka Trump trying to converse with world leaders at G20
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Yuri Gripas/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (10321402k) White House senior advisor Ivanka Trump attends a meeting with US President Donald J. Trump (not pictured) on the the opioid epidemic in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on 25 June 2019. US President Donald J. Trump holds meeting on the opioid epidemic, Washington, Usa - 25 Jun 2019 Credit: Yuri Gripas/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

This Ivanka Trump clip is equal parts relatable and horrifying.

In a moment captured at the G20 summit, we see President Trump's daughter attempting to engage with a group of world leaders: Canada's Justin Trudeau, France's Emmanuel Macron, the U.K.'s Theresa May, and Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund. It goes poorly.

On the one hand, who among us hasn't at some point felt the awkward terror of stepping into a conversation where you know, deep down, that you're not entirely welcome? It's one of those lessons we all pick up in that merciless crucible of social education, the childhood schoolyard.

On the other hand, this is Ivanka Trump we're talking about. Why is this unelected person who's only in the White House orbit because of her dad allowed to represent United States interests at a gathering as significant as G20?

This is just a clip of what appears to be a longer exchange, so there may be context that makes the moment less stinging than it appears. But body language and facial expressions communicate a lot here.

Trump looks downright awkward as she tries to interject a point or two of her own, standing further outside the conversation circle than the rest of the participants. And the look that flashes across Lagarde's face the second time Trump speaks is... well... that may be the most relatable slice of this whole clip.

Topics Politics

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Adam Rosenberg

Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.


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