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Both Trump and Macri are heirs to real estate holdings, and they worked together in the 1980s, Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra told a press conference.
When Macri placed the call November 14, he asked to speak to Ivanka, whom he has known since she was a child.
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In addition to running a jewelry line, Ivanka Trump is a Trump organization vice president for development.
News of the conversation came as a report surfaced that Donald Trump had asked Macri to approve a building project by one of his companies in Buenos Aires, a claim that Macri’s government has sharply denied.
Malcorra said there was no discussion between Macri and Trump on real estate development.
“No. Not at all. They just talked about maintaining the (bilateral) relationship and recalled the personal relationship they had years ago,” she said.
The news also arrived in the wake of a torrent of criticism caused by official snapshots of the president-elect’s first meeting with a foreign leader on Thursday showing Ivanka Trump sitting in on the talks with Japan’s Shinzo Abe.
She and her businessman husband Jared Kushner could be seen chatting and laughing with the prime minister’s delegation at Trump Tower.
Argentina’s top diplomat said Macri had merely exchanged pleasantries with Ivanka, whom he has known for years.
“She’s right here next to me. I’ll pass over the phone,” Malcorra quoted Donald Trump as telling Macri.
“Macri and Ivanka exchanged pleasantries,” Malcorra said.
The unclear role of Trump’s family in his administration has raised concerns, largely due to potential conflicts of interest.
Macri will travel to New York on December 10 to meet with the Trump team, Malcorra added.
