US State Department: 'No better representative of an American woman entrepreneur than Ivanka Trump'

Although criticised over her business practices in the past, Ivanka Trump got the ringing endorsement of the US State Department to lead the US at an entrepreneurship summit in India.

State Department spokesperson, Heather Nauert said in a briefing with foreign reporters in Washington DC that she cannot think of a better representative of a female entrepreneur in the country.

When asked about Donald Trump's daughter leading the US delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in India, Nauert said: "I'm so proud that the United States and India held the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad.

"We are also proud that Ivanka Trump, the president's - not only his daughter but one of his trusted closest advisers, led the US delegation over there.

"I can personally think of no better representative of a woman entrepreneur in the United States than her to go over there," Nauert said on Wednesday (29 November).

Trump has faced criticism over her business practices in the past including accusations Ivanka brand goods were produced under poor labour conditions in Chinese factories. There was also controversy over how ahead of the summit, authorities in Hyderabad were strictly enforcing bans on begging.

Nauert said that through the State Department, 1,500 entrepreneurs had been brought to India for the summit from around the globe. Over half of those were women, she said, adding that "part of the theory behind that is women's empowerment".

The event started on Tuesday (28 November) under the banner 'Women First, Prosperity for All' and will run until Thursday (30 November).

Trump's speech on Tuesday lauded women entrepreneurs but was criticised for repeating sections verbatim from a speech she made in Toyko. "When women work, it creates a unique multiplier effect," Trump said, in a line that Newsweek reported as being the 'same exact line' from the Tokyo speech.

Trump, who reportedly hosted two panel discussions at the event before leaving on Wednesday, also said: "As a former entrepreneur, employer, and executive in a male-dominated industry, I've seen firsthand that all too often women must do more than their male counterparts to prove themselves at work, while also disproportionately caring for their families at home".