Sarah Sanders hits Ocasio-Cortez over criticism of Ivanka Trump’s G-20 appearance

by Justin Wise - 07/01/19 6:56 PM ET

Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Sunday slammed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) after the freshman lawmaker criticized White House adviser Ivanka Trump’s attendance at the Group of 20 (G-20) summit.

“Phoning it in @AOC is wasting your time on Twitter while destroying jobs in NY,” Sanders tweeted. “@realDonaldTrump & @IvankaTrump actually created millions of new jobs and continue to make the US stronger on the global stage but thank you for reminding Americans everyday why they elected Trump.”

The comments from Sanders came as President Trump’s daughter faced mounting scrutiny over her presence at the G-20 summit in Japan, an event that convened leaders from around the globe.

Phoning it in @AOC is wasting your time on Twitter while destroying jobs in NY. @realDonaldTrump & @IvankaTrump actually created millions of new jobs and continue to make the US stronger on the global stage but thank you for reminding Americans everyday why they elected Trump. https://t.co/uGN4GXgAsC

— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) July 1, 2019

Ocasio-Cortez and others voiced outrage after the French presidential palace released a video showing Ivanka Trump joining a discussion involving French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, British Prime Minister Theresa May and International Monetary Fund Chairwoman Christine Lagarde.

Ivanka Trump appears to be trying to get involved in a talk among Macron, May, Trudeau and Lagarde (IMF head).
The video is released by French Presidential palace. pic.twitter.com/TJ0LULCzyQ

— Parham Ghobadi (@ParhamGhobadi) June 29, 2019

Ocasio-Cortez condemned President Trump’s decision to bring his daughter to the event, saying it hurt the U.S.’s diplomatic standing.

“It may be shocking to some, but being someone’s daughter actually isn’t a career qualification,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted after the video was released. “It hurts our diplomatic standing when the President phones it in & the world moves on.”

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) tweeted on Sunday that he “would like to hear Ivanka Trump’s explanation about this video.” The hashtag “#UnwantedIvanka” trended on Twitter early Monday after users began editing her into iconic photos.

Ivanka Trump has tagged along with President Trump for his last two visits to the G-20 summit. This year, she addressed efforts to elevate women in the workforce during a forum called the Special Event on Women’s Empowerment.

An official with the French presidential palace said in a statement Monday that the government did not “anticipate” the overwhelming, largely mocking response to the video, Politico reported.

“It is sad but not shocking that the haters choose to attack Ivanka Trump, a senior advisor to the President, when she is promoting U.S. efforts to empower women through strategic partnerships with world leaders,” Jessica Ditto, deputy White House communications director, said in a statement to The Hill. “The G20 and ROK [Republic of Korea] visits were substantive and historic. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership our country is more prosperous and secure.”