Ivanka Trump is leading the US delegation to the 2018 Winter Olympics closing ceremony, and the trip has thus far proved to be an exercise in diplomacy for the first daughter and senior adviser to the President.
“Trump delivered a personal message to President Moon from President Trump about today’s North Korea related sanctions announcement at a small meeting at the Blue House. They also discussed the continued effort on the joint maximum pressure campaign against North Korea,” a senior administration official said in a statement.
Speaking Friday to reporters at the White House, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Trump has “been part of the team” as the White House puts pressure on North Korea.
“Ivanka Trump has been briefed on this. She has been part of the team. She had dinner with President Moon and had a private discussion in advance about this occurring and this has been an interagency process,” Mnuchin said.
Trump and husband Jared Kushner’s security clearance status and access to classified information has come under scrutiny in recent weeks.
Asked if she had the appropriate security clearance, Mnuchin said, “She has the appropriate access to brief the President.”
In remarks ahead of the dinner, Trump thanked her hosts, saying it was “wonderful” to celebrate the Olympics and to “reaffirm our bonds of friendship and partnership.”
She added that the purpose of the trip was also to “reaffirm our commitment to our maximum pressure campaign to ensure that the Korean Peninsula is denuclearized,” saying the group would discuss their “joint values and strategic cooperation as partners and allies.
