Ivanka Trump briefly stepped in to take her father’s seat during a Group of 20 summit meeting on Saturday.
A photo posted to Twitter showed Ivanka sitting next to world leaders, including British Prime Minister Theresa May and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Cabinet officials usually replace the president during sessions when a stand-in is needed. But the first daughter, an official adviser to the president, took his place instead.
{mosads}
“Ivanka was sitting in the back and then briefly joined the main table when the president had to step out,” a White House official said in response to the photo.
The White House said the topic under discussion related to Ivanka’s advocacy role on a women’s economic development initiative with the World Bank, according to reports.
The internet quickly responded to the photo of the first daughter filling in for her father during the meeting in Germany:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who served as the host leader for this year’s summit, said later Saturday at a news conference that it was up to individual nations to decide who represents them, Bloomberg reported.
“The delegations themselves decide, should the president not be present for a meeting, who will then take over and sit in the chair,” Merkel said.
“Ivanka Trump was part and parcel of the American delegation so that is something that other delegations also do. It’s very well known that she works at the White House and is also engaged in certain initiatives.”
Updated: 5:24 p.m.