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One of US president Donald Trump’s closet aides has urged the public to buy items from a clothing and jewellery line named after Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka.
Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser, made the comment a day after a tweet from the president criticising a retailer for dropping the product line drew criticism over using public office for personal business gains.
"Go buy Ivanka's stuff," Ms Conway told Fox News in an interview from the White House on Thursday. "I'm going to get some myself today."
Ms Trump's brand was thrust again into the headlines after her father attacked department store chain Nordstrom in a highly unusual move using a White House twitter platform to intervene in a commercial matter.
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“My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person - always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!” Mr Trump tweeted on Wednesday.
Nordstrom's shares dipped after the tweet, sent from both Trump's personal and official presidential accounts, but it later closed up 4.0 per cent on the New York Stock Exchange.
Ethics
The move prompted criticism of Mr Trump by ethics officials who served past Republican and Democratic administrations. They said his tweet was both unprecedented and troublesome.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer defended Trump’s tweet on Wednesday, telling reporters that “the president has every right as a father to stand up” for his daughter.
Ms Conway on Thursday also backed Trump’s comment, telling Fox News: “He’s been a champion for women empowerment, women in the workplace.”
Ms Trump has said she would step away from her company when her father took office in the White House. A spokeswoman for the Ivanka Trump brand declined to comment on Wednesday.
Nordstrom has defended its decision to drop Ivanka’s wares, citing performance.
Retailers still selling Ivanka Trump products include Macy’s, TJX Cos and Hudson’s Bay Co. Retailers that have dropped Ivanka Trump include Neiman Marcus and HSN Inc.
The move by some retailers to drop her products comes amid an ongoing campaign called #GrabYourWallet, which encourages shoppers to boycott products with ties to Mr Trump, his family and his donors.
Reuters