There are many divisive names in politics; none could argue that current American President Donald Trump and his famous first family are pretty high up on that list.
Speaking on the live panel today for The Weekly’s annual Women Of The Future Awards, Foreign Minister, the Hon. Julie Bishop opened up about her rejection of the feminist label and shared her thoughts on the American first family.
“I was in the United Nations in New York recently, I met the president and the first lady, and I also met his daughter, Ivanka,” Bishop explained.
She went to say the President’s daughter was one the most, “delightful, thoughtful, measured, outward-looking, down to earth,” people she had met.
“She’s so balanced. She’s focusing on female entrepreneurship and she wanted to join with us on some of the initiatives Australia is working on.”
“And I just kept thinking, that president produced that daughter – interesting.”
At which point Annabell Crabb was quick to jump in and point out, “The fact that you’ve just spent a minute and a half talking about his daughter and not about him gives us everything we need to know.”
Julie Bishop laughed and joked about being trapped, before Annabel Crabb compared the president’s reign to be like “a reality TV show.”
Marta Dusseldorp said he makes her laugh, “but in the wrong way.”
Watch the Facebook live below.
Lisa Wilkinson, the host of the live conversation, also asked Julie why in the past she has made the somewhat controversial decision to reject the label of ‘feminist’.
Sitting between two journalists (Lisa Wilkinson and Annabel Crabb), it could be said that Julie was between a rock and hard place, but the Foreign Minister responded to every question thrown her way with her usual thoughtful rejoinders and quick wit.
“I don’t appreciate being labelled in a certain way. I’ve always rejected other people trying to define who I am and what I can achive,” Bishop explained.
“My advice to young women is to never let others define who you are, what you can do and what you can achieve.”
“It was really a rejection of that kind of labelling.”
“I ask people to judge me on what I do and what I achieve for women.”
The Australian Women’s Weekly Women of the Future Awards 2017 panel featured Julie Bishop MP, Lisa Wilkinson, Annabel Crabb and Marta Dusseldorp discussing women’s issues.
Watch the full panel in the Facebook live post above.
