Putin rival 'Russian Paris Hilton' invited to Trump prayer breakfast

The new, television star face of the Russian opposition has been invited to President Trump’s national prayer breakfast in Washington.

Ksenia Sobchak is running for president against Vladimir Putin, and was asked to attend the annual gathering on Feb. 1, her press secretary told news agency Interfax.

Sobchak, the socialite daughter of Putin’s mentor who became known as “Russia’s Paris Hilton” before becoming a journalist, has not yet confirmed her attendance at the event.

Some members of Russian parliament will also attend the breakfast hosted by Congress, which the President always attends.

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A three-day trip to the U.S. comes as the 36-year-old Sobchak tries to mount a serious challenge to Putin, who is widely expected to win his country’s election in March and continue into his third decade of power.

The most prominent opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has led a series of well-attended rallies that spread his support outside the liberal center of Moscow, but was banned from participating in the election.

Some have speculated that Sobchak coordinated her campaign with the Kremlin to draw support from Navalny, but she launched the effort saying she wanted to be an option for those fed up with the current political system.

There are Russian-Americans in the U.S. allowed to vote in their native country’s elections, it is an unusual decision for Sobchak to take a high-profile visit to the States, which nearly 70% of Russians said was an “enemy” in a December poll.

Beyond the prayer breakfast, the candidate is expected to make a series of speeches at venues including Georgetown University and make a possible visit to New York.

Controversial and clown-ish nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky and a member of the Communist Party are also running in the election.