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Ivanka Trump advocates for women entrepreneurs at India summit

By Sara Shayanian
White House adviser and former business owner Ivanka Trump opened a three-day summit in India Tuesday, where she advocated for female entrepreneurship. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
White House adviser and former business owner Ivanka Trump opened a three-day summit in India Tuesday, where she advocated for female entrepreneurship. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 28 (UPI) -- White House adviser Ivanka Trump appeared in India Tuesday to advocate for female entrepreneurship -- an issue some believe conflicts with the policies of her father, U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Global Entrepreneurship Summit was hosted by U.S. and Indian governments and was attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had personally invited Ivanka Trump to attend the summit and spoke after the first daughter's speech.

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In a speech at the three-day event in Hyderabad, Ivanka Trump said, "India has a true friend in the White House" -- and lauded the conference's theme, "Women First, Prosperity for All."

"Despite the soaring rate of female entrepreneurs, women still face steep obstacles to starting, owning, and growing their businesses," she said. "We must ensure women entrepreneurs have access to capital, access to networks and mentors and access to equitable laws."

A move by the Trump administration to rescind the International Entrepreneur Rule may complicate those efforts.

The Obama-era rule allows foreign-born entrepreneurs to remain in the United States on a five-year visa. It was aimed at attracting the kind of startups that Ivanka Trump said the world should do more to support.

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Implementation of the rule has been postponed until March by the Department of Justice.

A lawsuit was filed against the rule's delay in September by Jeff Farrah, the National Venture Capital Association's vice president of governmental affairs.

"It's great that Ivanka Trump is promoting entrepreneurship in India, but the administration's action on the International Entrepreneur Rule is really harming entrepreneurship here in our country," Farrah told CBS News.

Ivanka Trump said in her speech, "As we strive for change, we must never forget that the best hope for our future is far greater than any single government policy. The source of our success is found in the spirit, the drive, and the talent of our people."

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