Ivanka Trump: Merkel not ‘using’ relationship to influence president

First daughter Ivanka Trump said Wednesday she does not believe German Chancellor Angela Merkel is “using” the pair’s relationship to influence President Trump.

“I don’t think that she is using the relationship,” Ivanka Trump, recently named a special White House counselor, said on NBC’s “Today.” 

Trump said while her father has a great relationship with Merkel, the chancellor agrees with her on many issues. 

{mosads}“I think that she sees me as a woman who is aligned with her on many issues, I think she has a great relationship with my father,” she said.

Trump’s comments follow reports said Merkel decided to foster her relationship with the first daughter so she could have a direct line to the Trump administration. 

Trump traveled to Berlin on Tuesday to participate in a women’s panel discussion at the invitation of the German chancellor. 

Trump joined Merkel to discuss women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship at the W-20 summit, where the first daughter ended up facing boos from the crowd when she said her father is a “tremendous champion of supporting families.” 

Trump co-authored an op-ed with the president of the World Bank on Monday, calling on the global community to improve its economic empowerment of women. She also said the estimated 170-year time frame to achieve gender pay equality “is unacceptable.”

President Trump said earlier this month that he has good chemistry with Merkel.