Mr. Trump protects daughter Ivanka amid noise about her attending meetings in place of her father

President Trump said it was "appropriate" to have his daughter Ivanka sit in his chair during a meeting with world leaders at the G20 Summit, and the German chancellor agreed.

"As I left the conference room to meet with Japan and other countries, I asked Ivanka to hold my seat for me. Very appropriate. Angela M agreed," Trump wrote on Twitter on July 10, referring to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The US President continued to justify his decision in the next tweet by mentioning former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his opponent in the 2016 US election. He said that if Mrs. Clinton and her daughter had done the same, they would have been treated differently.

"If Chelsea Clinton was told to save her mother's seat, while Mrs. Clinton betrayed our country, the Fake News would be saying Chelsea should be president," Trump said.

The photo shows Ivanka Trump sitting in her father's chair, next to Xi Jinping and Theresa May. Photo: Twitter.

Ivanka Trump, 35, appeared in a photo released by a Russian official showing her sitting in President Trump's chair at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 8. Next to her were Chinese President Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister Theresa May.

The image immediately sparked controversy over the role of the US president's daughter. However, Chancellor Merkel, as host of the G20 Summit, spoke out to affirm that who is present at the meetings is the decision of each country.

"Ivanka Trump is part of the American delegation, that's what other delegations do," Merkel said at a press conference. "Everyone knows that she works for the White House and is also involved in some programs."

Ivanka is currently an unpaid adviser to her father as an assistant to the president, with an office in the West Wing of the White House. According to Bloomberg, G20 leaders can bring staff to meetings. When other leaders left their seats at the July 8 meeting in Germany, their seats were temporarily filled by others.

Mr Trump's comments come as his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, is also under fire for allegedly having contact with a Russian lawyer during last year's US election.

The alleged Russian interference in the US election is one of several issues being investigated by US authorities. The Kremlin has said it has no knowledge of the lawyer mentioned in the New York Times article or any meetings between him and Mr Trump's son.

According to ZIng.vn