- Ivanka Trump on Sunday said it was "surreal" to step into North Korea for her father's historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
- President Donald Trump facilitated a last-minute meeting with Kim amid the US's efforts to get North Korea to agree to denuclearization.
- Ivanka Trump, a top adviser to the president, joined him for the meeting at the Demilitarized Zone that separates the Korean Peninsula.
- She was also criticized and mocked over her presence at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, over the weekend.
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Ivanka Trump on Sunday said it was "surreal" to step into North Korea as her father became the first sitting US president to enter the rogue state.
Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, both top advisers to President Donald Trump, entered North Korea via a small conference building in the Demilitarized Zone that straddles the border between North Korea and South Korea for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The first daughter had earlier signaled she would cross the border, telling Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs on Saturday that "we need to continue that dialogue to work in good faith to realize that goal" of denuclearization, adding, "Today is another step in that direction."
Ivanka Trump says she will “absolutely” step over border at DMZ into North Korea today, “if I was invited.”
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) June 30, 2019
“We need to continue that dialogue to work in good faith to realize that goal (of denuclearization). Today is another step in that direction,” she told me. pic.twitter.com/JSjwd1glfi
After becoming the first commander in chief to step into North Korea, the president told reporters it was "a great honor." He also said he'd invite Kim to the White House.
"A lot of progress has been made, a lot of friendships have been made, and this has been in particular a great friendship," Trump said of the talks between the US and North Korea over North Korea's nuclear program.
The historic meeting between Trump and Kim at the DMZ was facilitated at the last minute via a tweet from the president.
Trump and Kim have already met at two major summits, and North Korea has not denuclearized.
Trump said the US and North Korea would resume negotiations, after the discussions in Hanoi, Vietnam, collapsed earlier this year.
The president's critics say they're concerned that he is helping to legitimize one of the world's most repressive leaders. Trump's praise for Kim and characterization of him as a friend has catalyzed outrage among Democrats.
Ivanka Trump has faced renewed scrutiny of her influential and visible role in the Trump administration after her presence at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, over the weekend led to significant criticism and mockery.
The president's decision to elevate his daughter, who had no prior political experience, to such a prominent role has led to accusations of nepotism from Trump's critics in government and the media.