Senior White House aide Ivanka Trump has finally broken her silence on her attitude to her father Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry, arguing in a Friday interview with FOX Business that the Democrats’ crude attempts to persist with a House investigation cripples what has long been prioritised by the White House - acting in the interests of the American people.
“We have our priorities in the White House", she said. "We are fighting every day for the American worker. We’re fighting every day to improve the quality of life for every single person in this country and we’re delivering in that fight and on that promise -- that’s our priority”.
Separately, Ivanka touched upon the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a free-trade deal that would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, known as NAFTA, noting that its ratification by Congress is no less essential. Despite the impeachment inquiry, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reported on the headway to this end, saying the trade deal is pressing ahead, with Mexico being the only country to have ratified it.
“We’re moving ahead on USMCA hoping to be on a path, a continuing path to ‘yes’”, Pelosi said while speaking to reporters on Thursday. The USMCA outlines a scheme for trade with two of the US’ prominent neighboring trading partners Canada and Mexico.
Ivanka also discussed the importance of boosting employment rates in America, having brought up the same question during her meeting with Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Thursday, after which they announced a new employment initiative that is expected to create 250,000 IT-training positions. In the interview with Fox Business, Ivanka specially addressed the “multiple pathways” that she believes need to be lobbied for and celebrated:
“For many decades we’ve been told that there’s one path A in America and that’s 4 year university and that path is not available to every American and that path is not right for every American”, she said.
“So, while I would never denigrate our university ecosystem, it’s the best in the world, we need to celebrate the multiple pathways it exists in America for success. And in this booming economy there are so many”.
Reactions on Twitter varied greatly, with many praising Ivanka's effort to support her Dad, while others recalled her previous "dubious" business ties including with China, wondering why the US first daught should at all be interviewed:
Why is she even in the White House?! Not an ounce of competence when it comes to being involved in govt. and nobody voted for her.
— BScoutmom2 (@Scoutmom2Sheila) October 5, 2019
I’m a labor and employment law attorney, Ivanka...is the Trump initiated farmer based trade war what you’re doing for American workers??? Because that’s being subsidized and they’re going out of business.
— Rob Milesnick (@RMilesnick) October 5, 2019
Why are you even interviewing this woman? Nobody elected her and this is not a monarchy. She's just the daughter-wife of an anti-American conman squatting in the people's house until he's rightly removed by real patriots.
— Lindsay Bean (@LLeeki) October 5, 2019
Nevertheless, there was also room for irony, with some gladly bringing up what they think is her top priority and competence - fashion and trade, while a few even suggested she be nominated for presidency:
Ivanka Trump 2024🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
— Kenny Dutcher (@badlandsmenie) October 5, 2019
Priorities: Selling handbags.
— IMPEACHERATOR (@IMPEACHERATOR1) October 5, 2019
Formal proceedings against Trump were launched on 24 September by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after it was revealed that he could have breached his constitutional responsibilities as a result of his July call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In it, as suggested by the published partial transcript, POTUS asked Ukrainian authorities to make sure that a thorough probe is launched into the potentially illegal and ethically incorrect dealings of Joe Biden, a current Dem presidential frontrunner, and his son Hunter in Ukraine back in 2016 and 2017.
At the time, Joe Biden, the then vice president, threatened to withdraw aid to Ukraine unless the authorities dealt with then serving Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, who was sorting out corruption allegations against a local natural gas company that employed Biden’s son Hunter.
Trump, for his part, has denied any wrongdoing, dismissing outright the accusations against him and stating that his conversation with the Ukrainian president was "pitch perfect". Zelensky similarly referred to the phone call as a casual and “normal”, one, noting that no pressure was exerted on him. Trump labelled the impeachment probe a “hoax” and a “coup” that he argued aims to “take away the power of the people”, as well as their “freedoms and their God-given rights as a citizen of the United States of America”.
