Appointment sparks online complaints

Ivanka Trump, daughter and advisor to the President of the United States, has been named a keynote speaker at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week.

“As a business leader and entrepreneur, Ivanka Trump is an advocate for creating family-sustaining jobs through workforce development, education and skills training,” said Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, which produces the giant trade show. “We welcome her to the CES keynote stage, as she shares her vision for technology’s role in creating and enabling the workforce of the future.”

The decision sparked online complaints about her qualifications and the numerous accusations of questionable activity that have been aimed at her father and family.

“This is a feckless stunt and yet another dumb one from the leaders who once brought you tech in pink display for the ladies,” said noted tech journalist Kara Swisher via Twitter. “The event lost the narrative long ago and I no longer attend as it’s just a loud and irksome trade show. I expect the keynote be as pointless as it sounds.”

Other keynote speakers at CES include Samsung Consumer Electronics CEO Kyun-Suk Kim, NBCUniversal chairman of advertising & partnerships Linda Yaccarino, Quibi founders Jeff Katzenberg and Meg Whitman, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Unilever CEO Alan Jope.

CES runs from Jan. 7 to Jan. 10. Trump is scheduled to speak on Jan. 7.

Last year’s conference drew 180,000 attendees.