With no qualifications besides a last name, Ivanka Trump sits in the U.S. president's seat

Although not elected, confirmed, sworn-in, or even holding an official position within the United States government, Ivanka represented the U.S. at a G20 leaders session on African migration and health.

And when Donald Trump stepped away from the conference table to attend a one-on-one meeting, Ivanka took her father’s place between British Prime Minister Theresa May and Chinese President Xi Jinping:

Ivanka Trump, unelected, unqualified, daughter-in-chief, is representing the US at the G20 summit next to May, Xi, Merkel. Photo @LanaLukash pic.twitter.com/fvs0EMy8z7

— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) July 8, 2017

Ivanka operates in an unofficial position within the White House as an unsalaried adviser to her father, although she enjoys a taxpayer funded office.

Ivanka previously announced the creation of the “Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative” in coordination with the World Bank. Her spokesperson claimed her presence at the G20 table during the session on African concerns was related to that initiative.

The reality is a First Daughter holding no official position in the U.S. government sat in as an equal among world leaders because her father wanted her to — and lawmakers in the Republican Party refuse to hold her father accountable to any norms, ethical guidelines, or laws.

Make no mistake: This is not normal for representative democracies. This kind of nepotism and familial surrogacy is completely normal in authoritarian regimes.