WASHINGTON — In January, days before President Donald Trump's inauguration, his daughter Ivanka Trump declared that she'd be stepping away from her management role at the clothing and shoe brand that bears her name.

And yet, on Wednesday, the president lashed out on Twitter at department store Nordstrom over its decision to stop carrying Ivanka Trump products, saying his daughter “has been treated so unfairly” by the retailing giant.

“My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person — always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!”

The social media missive adds to a cloud of confusion swirling around the administration about how the family's business interests are colliding with Trump's job at the White House.

Sean Spicer, Trump's press secretary, defended Trump's tweet to reporters during a briefing Wednesday, saying “He has every right to stand up for his family and applaud their business activities, their success.”

Spicer also said, “This is a direct attack on his policies and her name.”

Nordstrom reiterated Wednesday that its decision was based on the brand's performance. Since it confirmed its decision last week, the company has been responding to disappointed or angry shoppers on its Twitter, stressing that its reasons were based on poor performance.

Nordstrom shares had dropped after the tweet, but they later recovered to close to more than 4 percent higher.

It's not clear why President Trump believes his daughter was treated unfairly by Nordstrom if she is no longer involved in the label's operations.

But his reproach of the company comes as a growing slate of retailers appear to be backing away from the Ivanka Trump brand. Neiman Marcus is no longer carrying fine jewelry from the label on its website, while Belk also no longer features Ivanka Trump clothes and accessories online.

President Trump's adult children have been visible figures in the early days of their father's administration. Ivanka Trump was at the table last week for a gathering of the president's Business Advisory Council, a meeting that was attended by chief executives of corporate behemoths such as Wal-Mart, Pepsi and IBM.

His sons are running the Trump Organization during his presidency.