Donald Trump says he wanted to appoint his daughter Ivanka Trump to be “United Nations secretary” during his time in the White House.
At the far-right Moms for Liberty conference in Washington, D.C on Friday, Trump was asked about working with his adult children in politics and business and what “advice” he has for people working with their children.
In the White House, Ivanka served as an advisor to her father and Trump’s adult sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump run the Trump Organization.
“Well, I’ve always liked it. I don’t know that I’ll be doing very much of it politically because I think it’s been unfair to them. Like, Ivanka was great. She could’ve done anything,” Trump said in a clip highlighted by Mediaite.
“She didn’t want something like the United Nations secretary,” he continued. “I wanted her to do that. I said, you would be a great ambassador to the United Nations, United Nations secretary. There’d be nobody to compete with her.”
Presidents do not appoint the United Nations secretary-general. That position is filled by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
However, presidents do appoint a U.S. ambassador to the U.N., a job Trump said Ivanka would be “incredible” at following Nikki Haley’s departure from the role in 2018.
“I think Ivanka would be incredible but it doesn’t mean [I would name her],” Trump said. “I would be accused of nepotism.” He added that he thought there was no one “more competent in the world” than Ivanka.
