Ivanka Trump Takes On Criticism Of Her Father In Berlin

Presidential adviser Ivanka Trump spoke at a Berlin conference on women's empowerment on Tuesday, defending her father's attitude toward women.

Taking questions from a moderator on a stage that included German Chancellor Angela Merkel and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde, she called President Trump "a tremendous champion of supporting families and enabling them to thrive."

"I'm very proud of my father's advocacy [of women]," she said.

Ivanka's Trump's comments were greeted by boos and groans from the audience at the first mention of the president's name, Politico reported. Moderator Miriam Meckel, a German newspaper editor, then said, "You hear the reaction from the audience. I need to address one more point: Some attitudes toward women your father has displayed might leave one questioning whether he's such an empowerer for women."

Ivanka Trump responded, "I've certainly heard the criticism from the media that's been perpetuated," drawing laughter. She then explained her life in a household in which she said held "no barriers to what I could accomplish beyond my own perseverance and tenacity."

Some observers have said Merkel's invitation to Trump was a way to open communications between the German and U.S. governments, NBC News reported. President Trump was critical of Merkel during his presidential campaign and when he and Merkel met in March.

President Trump is unpopular in Europe, NBC News noted, citing a Pew study indicating 6 percent of German respondents said they had confidence in him.