Ivanka Trump covers the new issue of Town & Country. It would be politically disadvantageous for any wife/daughter/political surrogate to cover a magazine which is so “fancy”… unless that candidate is Donald Trump, you know? Like, Michelle Obama or Hillary Clinton couldn’t cover Town & Country during an election cycle, but since it’s Ivanka, it’s a non-issue. Anyway, Ivanka talks to Town & Country about her dad and how he’s not a terrible sexist (he is, but his unhinged fascism worries me more than his unhinged sexism). Ivanka also chats about whether she “has it all” with motherhood and a career. Some highlights:
Whether she ever admonishes her dad: “Well, I’m his daughter. In a political capacity, I don’t. It’s his campaign. I don’t feel that’s my role. But I would challenge him as a child. That’s what children do. [My daughter] Arabella challenges me every day. People ask me, do I ever disagree with my father? It would be a little strange if I didn’t.”
On her father’s repeated sexist comments: “You could also list a few comments he’s made about men that are unflattering. I think my dad is highly gender-neutral. If he doesn’t like someone, he’ll articulate that, and I think it’s also part of what resonates about him. He’ll say what he’s thinking.”
On her father and his respect for women: “If he didn’t feel that women were as competent as men, I would be relegated to some role subordinate to my brothers. I think this is one of his great strengths: He fully prioritizes merit and accomplishment and skill and ability over background, education, and gender. This company, over four decades, has always had women in its highest ranks… I think he’s one of the great advocates for women, and he has been a great example to me my whole life… He 100 percent believes in equality of gender… [He has] confidence in women to do any job that a man can do, and my whole life has been proof of that.”
On working, motherhood and “having it all”: “I abhor this question of ‘having it all.’ People talk about balance. Balance is an awful measure of things, because it implies a scale that inevitably tips. I like to look through the filter of ‘Is the life I’m leading consistent with my priorities?’ For me, my family is the ultimate litmus test. Do I feel I’m giving my children what they need? But I don’t do everything. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do professionally if I did. I don’t go to the afternoon classes. I don’t take my son to the sports playgroup in the middle of the day. For some people that’s a compromise they aren’t willing to make, and I respect that.”
On the possibility of entering politics herself: “It’s not something I’ve ever been inclined to do, but I’m 34, so who knows? At this point I would never even contemplate it, but that doesn’t mean that when I’m 50 I won’t have a change of heart.”
For the “having it all” question, I kind of respect her answer. Ivanka has never tried to convince anyone that she’s the second coming of Jennifer Garner, you know? She’s never put on the air of “I’m an amazing, hands-on mom who is there for every little moment.” She’s openly discussed her work schedule (an ordinary work day for her is 16 hours long) and she’s said that she’s not spending a lot of time with her kids during the week. And it’s clear that her work is just as important to her as her family, so… whatever works for her. As for all of the stuff about her dad… that bothers me so much more. Just because Donald Trump plays favorites with one of his daughters (and yes, I do think Ivanka is his favorite child), that doesn’t mean that he’s not an awful misogynist.
Photos courtesy of Town & Country.
Trump is a very controlling man. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if he controlled everything about the interview and demanded that Ivanka say what she said in order to paint a better picture of him. He wants to win this election at all costs even if it means she sugar coats all his absurd behavior with her typical dialog.
Nope. Sorry, I do think he’s a controlling man. I do think he’s awful and his politics are awful and he’s a racist and a misogynist and that he would love nothing more than to line the pockets of himself and his cronies and leave the rest of America out in the cold. BUT by every account, the guy loves his daughter and she is devoted to him. Honestly, she’s the one part of his life that would go in the plus column on judgement day. And she’s a heck of a lot more well spoken and diplomatic than he is. So why would he not just let her say her piece?
BUT by every account, the guy loves his daughter
Yes, down to saying he’d date her if she wasn’t his daughter. Not creepy or controlling at ALL.
*eye roll*
@Matador: that *is* gross, but i’m not following you on how it’s controlling. can you elaborate the theory behind that?
Meh. There’s enough rotten stuff to say about him, there’s no need to read into a fairly innocuous comment.
Ivanka will not piss off Daddy. He’s the brand (at least for now) and he’s the reason she is.
Wonder if he calls her disgusting when she breastfeeds her children (as he has done with other women) or if she is disgusting for having to leave the room to use the ladies room?
He has the nerve to talk about Bill Clintons infidelity but forgets to mention his own. Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?
She has stated before that she absolutely insists on spending one hour a day with her children. I don’t see how she breastfeeds.
I am surprised none of the media outlets have not posted headlines like “Battle of the Grandparents” considering both Trump and Hillary Clinton will become grandparents again this year. Also doesn’t Donald Trump have another daughter?
I had to google it to find out. Yes, he had a daughter with his second wife. Her name is Tiffany.
Thank you
I thought he had another daughter.
Donald cheated on his first wife with Marla Maples. ivanka found out about the affair and approached Marla on a ski slope in Colorado. Marla then cheated on Donald while they were married. His first wife accused him of abusing her physically and verbally in a book she wrote. She also accused him of raping her in her book. Years later she denied it happened.
I’m guessing she was paid off to deny what she wrote. Also, years ago Donald and his father refused to rent to blacks in NYC. They used a code system on the applications “C” for colored to deny applications because of their color. Their is so many scandal in DT background that when it starts to come out it’s going to be fun to watch his answers.
BNA, if nothing has stuck yet, nothing will. In fact, the point that Trump racially discriminated? That’s probably a point in his favor to his crazy followers.
Sad but true.
@matador you’re right about his crazy fan base. They love his racism, sexism, and bigotry. The worse he gets the more they support him. Honestly it scares me how many people support him. And my opinion has nothing to do with being Republican or Democrat. How many people in this country think it’s OK to treat people the way he does and act the way he acts? That’s what frightens me. What is happening to people’s morals that his behavior is accepted and applauded by any percentage of the public, let alone made him a front runner for the presidential election? He should have been laughed off stage with his ridiculous attitude. But he wasn’t. And it says a lot about the people in this country. Hopefully his supporters are fewer than they appear. Time will tell.
@BNA.FN: I had never heard about the housing scandal. That is shocking, but part of me is not surprised. I agree with you that there are many more scandals waiting to come out regarding Donald
@NewWester I’m sure there are several stories about DT being a racist and did refused to rent his apartments to Blacks. Please google that story.
At this point, information about Trump’s racism only makes him *more* appealing to his base. They’re not turned off by it; the racism, sexism, bigotry – these are the pluses (for those supporting him) that he’s happy to play to, and nothing will “stick” to lower his stock in their eyes.
If you want to know how Trump really feels about women, look at the way he has discarded several wives like used tissue. As for Ivanka, what is she going to say? She loves her father and she’s putting the best spin on his douchery that she can.
These photos of her touching her belly…we get it, you are pregnant and love your baby but the pictures look so cliché.
I wonder why she keeps getting pregnant when she doesn’t have enough time for her kids. I don’t believe that her work day is 16 hours long though.
She looks fake to me, i don’t like her. Truth is ,she could have turned out worse.
To make sure the great Trumps don’t die out. Also, racists have this thing where you should as many blue-eyed kids as you can…
Didn’t she have a surrogate carry her other baby because she was so busy, or did I make that up? I think she has just grown up in a world that’s so out of touch with most people’s lives, and with people kissing up to her because of her father, she just says things that make some of us throw up a little. But you are certainly right – man, she could have turned out a LOT worse.
ETA – sorry, I was thinking of Ralph Lauren’s daughter, I think.
“Not only is my father a horse’s arse, he’s an equal opportunities horse’s arse.” Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings. How can a man who rudely “says what he thinks” ever be called a diplomat or a politician? I believe that if this tonsorially challenged blowhard gets within spitting distance of the presidency the world as we know it will not survive. I can’t help thinking that this is all just some gigantic jest, it just has to be.
Haha, that is gold! And yes, we as a planet are royally screwed if Trump wins, but we get what we deserve, I guess.
LOL. And I married Prince Harry.
No! I did! 🙂
I think she is speaking out on her own opinions but she has a blind spot regarding her father. He attacks men on their competency but women on their gender and looks. Putting your daughter in charge is just furthering your ego as she is a product of your genes.
Wake me up when he hires a non-Trump woman in a high position of power that doesn’t look like a supermodel for his eye candy.
Precisely.
Yep. Also,nif she was ugly and fat she’d not be his favourite, I’m sure of that.
I think she thinks he attacks those who don’t measure up equally. And that’s how she excuses his sexism – that he holds both to same standards with believe that gender isn’t the issue, the competency is, and all genders have the ability to be capable. But then, he points that out to the men, and goes for the looks of the women, rather than also attacking just the incompetency. I don’t get how she doesn’t see the issue with that.
Exactly – his whole value of women is in relation to their appearance.
He’s always going to treat her differently because she’s his daughter, but towards the rest of the world? No thank you.
I feel sorry for her in some regards, she seems nice enough, but she’s saddled with that horrible man as her father and has to keep defending him.
Precisely. To The Donald, Ivanka is different because she is a pretty, little doll – an extension of him and his ego. I’m not saying that she isn’t competent and intelligent. I’m saying that if she wasn’t HIS daughter, her competence and intelligence wouldn’t have much value to him. She needs to understand that the way Trump has treated her is no reflection on how he treats other women, including his wives.
“I think he’s one of the great advocates for women”
Clearly, Ivanka has lead an extraordinarily sheltered life in Wonderland.
Great comment! To add a remberance…isn’t this the same Donald Trump who said “If Ivanka wasn’t my daughter I’d date her”? It is an extremely vile man who would make such a statement.
It sounds like she doesn’t know what “advocate” means. Or she just wants to keep her privileged lifestyle.
I read reviews of her book. Apparently, she pretty much considers herself a self-made woman qualified to give others advice on how to make it….
Lilac, my first reaction to her comments re her father was: a new will, or 51% controlling shares in the company?
I’m not voting for Trump, but for what it’s worth, women who have worked with him in the past say he treats women fairly in the workplace. You can read that article here https://www.yahoo.com/politics/whats-up-with-donald-trump-and-the-women-not-090043983.html
My take on Trump is that he is a ruthless businessman and isn’t afraid to let people know that. He hires men and women based on their ability and might even be a good mentor to those he finds to have excellent potential regardless of the person’s gender. On the flipside, he’s a jerk who will use sexism and racism to attack his opponents or whatever he perceives to be the competition or a threat to whatever goal he has set for himself.
He just comes off as someone who does whatever is necessary to win. I personally don’t think he is pro life, but he says he is pro life to win votes. If he became president, I predict he would be more libertarian in his policies than a true conservative. I think Trump’s desire to become president has overpowered his common sense, and since his tirades give him more media attention, his antics just become crazier. He could be a very different person to those who are close to him or within his circle of trust, so I can see how Ivanka’s views on her dad are distorted.
The thing that makes me saddest about Trump is that fear-based impulses like racism and sexism are winning among people who would be up in arms if any other candidate had his marital history or bragged about being rich and things like that. But suddenly they can overlook his very obvious flaws because he hates “foreigners” as much as they do.
Those were many of the same people screaming that Obama wasn’t experienced enough in politics to hold the office of POTUS. Yet now they want Trump or Carson? Pffft. It’s funny (and sad) to watch the narrative change with each election and group of candidates.
So true.
Women who worked for DT has to be careful what they have to say about him if they ever wants to work again. There was a story about a writer who wrote a story about him that he disapproved of. He saw her at a function and poured a glass of red wine done her back of her dress. There are too many stories about Donald’s disrespecting women.
What an absolute pig!
Gross. What an asshat!
If I worked for a good company that had a ‘famous’ boss, I would only say glowing things too. It’s generally not done anyway to speak ill of previous managers; it would be plain stupid to broadcast a harsh opinion if you ever want to work in business again.
Especially as a woman, you already have such limited options, there’s no situation in which we can really win. If we disclose abuse we might not be believed and we might lose jobs and/or contacts. If we bestow praise even though it’s a lie, we sold our soul but at least we can still make money and maybe one day be our own boss.
The thing that makes me sad is how people pull things out to over look the kind of person this man is.
And the fear for me is the number of people that are supporting him and are too blind to see what this man is. Quote: “… the devil doesn’t come dressed in a red cape and pointy horns. He comes as everything you’ve ever wished for …”
I am always amazed at how people follow so blindly. How if you say the things that people feel deep down then your are “Real” or a “Straight” shooter and telling it like it is. Maybe the reality is the things we feel deep down should remain deep down and telling it like is only works when Like IT IS.. really is LIKE IT IS.
Trump and his thinking scare me so much. Because he mirrors what a lot of people feel; and he is giving them a platform for HATE.
That’s how I feel, too. And it’s very scary.
I agree and it is scary. Part of the problem is people view people in extremes, and when you have someone like Trump who from all accounts does seem to hire and promote some women and minorities it gives people the justification he isn’t that bad. It’s the same story as I’m not a racist because I have a black friend. He justifies it all the time with Mexican’s love me, Women love me blah blah blah but yet he calls Carly Fiorina too ugly to be President and most Mexican immigrants criminals. The reality is today, most racist, sexist and potentially harmful people are not 100% racist and sexist all the time, and if they aren’t people justify them and there lies the true danger. Sometimes I wish we would stop characterizing people to such extremes, because I think a certain portion of the more rational population look at that and call bs and dismiss the other pertinent factors about how detrimental some of his ideas would be to our country.
this is a man that throws a public hissy fit & goes on a verbal attack (while complaining he’s being treated unfairly) anytime anyone disagrees with him. I’m pretty sure you have to publicly says what a great guy he is in order to succeed in his company
oh, brother.
I love it when you say that.
Um, is this a good time and place to wish my fellow readers a very happy, healthy new year?
A celebrity blog is the last place I thought I’d ever spend time and yet your shared comments have left me feeling better educated, more thoughtful, with a larger world view, and more reassured about the inner state of modern womanhood. Solidarity!
All the best to you in 2016, Who! Cheers….
Thank you! Being called a Who makes me think I live in Whoville, which is great! Gotta meet up with little Cindy Lou Who.
Happy new year to you, too, WATP? I hope yours is filled with love and all good things. Btw, I never thought I would spend time on a celebrity blog, either, but I also find so much to learn and think about and have so much fun on here. 🎉🎉🎉
Thanks very much GNAT! For whatever reason, the chemistry has been good at CB and here we are all learning and laughing and stuff. Hoping 2016 brings you closer to your dream life!
Agreed to you all! Happy New Year and thank you to ALL of you who contribute exciting, challenging, thoughtful and usually HILARIOUS commentary.
Coming to this site (as I have since it first came up) and reading the awesome, well written and well resources articles by our fave authors is seriously a highlight of my day.
Not only are the articles informative, but the site supports women, intelligent and fair political views and the commenters support fairness and dignity when expressing opinions. And the commenters are usually supportive and kind to one another, while showing greats amount of care, empathy and desire to see other people’s perspectives.
It’s refreshing to me!! I’m also super thankful to the new writers too – y’all are killing it!
Thanks to all you lovely people I share this space with, and I look forward to another amazing year!
In love and snark,
Little Darling
She’s a slick talker, so she would make a great politician. She expresses everything like silk.
Well this adds to the list of things of why I boycott her products
Of course she loves her dad, she’s his favorite possession and she makes him look decent in the eyes of his voters. I wish the media had the balls to ask the same questions to all his wives
Plus she’ll probably inherit most of what he has as she seems the smartest out of his kids…so of course she’s going to keep a good relationship with him.
Yes. And she’s bright but she felt compelled to turn have at least two fairly extreme nose jobs and a pair of Barbie Doll implants. Can’t have some average looking woman helping to run his company.
She’s as delusional as her father.
On a different note, can we get a moratorium on all pregnant women posing for pictures with their hands cupping the underside of their belly? And maybe stop calling the belly a “baby bump”?
I love your comment, Syko! A few years ago, a newsreader on a morning show was leaving yo have her baby. I really liked this roman. At the end of her final program, all the presenters lined up together, as they often do, but this day was special because Sharyn was leaving. I found myself thinking, “Tsk. I hope she doesn’t do the stupid belly-cupping-and-rubbing thing, because that will really turn me off her.” When the time came, she just stood there in a lovely red dress, smiling broadly as they gave her a beautiful arrangement of flowers and lots of good wishes. I was so impressed I emailed her and said how I loved that she didn’t touch her belly at all. I received a lovely email from her in response. In it, she said, “I’ve never understood the whole belly-rubbing thing, either – it’s not as if a genie is suddenly going to appear…!” It made me like her even more!
As for ivanka…meh. All the comments on here are really interesting and informative. I can’t stand DT, and even though I’m in Australia, I really hope his shenanigans are made more public and he is given the bum’s rush.
Donald has always supported abortion rights.he is also in favour of gay marriage.
yes he did until he started this candidacy and playing the “I’m super Christian and against everything the religious fundamentalists are” game
Know who else was adamantly pro choice until he was selected as a VP candidate? George HW Bush (he sold out that which he supported to get elected/re-elected because power was more important)
And Dick Cheney support some same-sex rights via one of his daughters BUT look at what his reign hath left behind.
George HW Bush was pro-choice until he agreed to be on the ticket with Reagan. I’ve never heard that about W.
Of course. Trump only calls women “pigs” and “dogs” to boost their ego, right?
You can be a horrible misogynist pig and still love your daughter. This means nothing.
absolutely. and if she wasn’t so beautiful or if she ever dared say a bad word about him publicly or in the press– she wouldn’t being enjoying his favor the way she does. It seems to be a requirement of all his children; that they be a glorious reflection of him and worship at the alter of Donald. Not shocking for a Grade A narcissist.
My thought exactly
Ugh, kill me now.
On another note, it’s nothing special, but I still think she looks beautiful in the pic with the black dress.
Did she just have her breasts and nose done or did she also get a chin implant?
She’s had lots of plastic surgery; nose, breasts, etc. She was not attractive years ago.
She was never ugly. But kind of bland before. If you google “Ivanka Trump before after” you will see.
I think she’s been quite diplomatic considering that he’s her father.
She seems like an intelligent woman and a mother too so I don’t expect her to speak her mind about her father’s true colors. I don’t blame her. In her position I don’t know what I would do.. I’d probably do what she does: speak about him only when asked and try to not take positions and be very vague waiting for all the attention to blow off.
I believe in her heart she wants him to lose the elections because if he wins.. that would be a tragedy.
Many of these comments are based on some truths, but many are based on second hand information and rumors. No one knows the real DT. As no one knows the real Hillary or Obama – and we’d probably be shocked to know some of the things they’ve done and thought. DT’s poll rise is a message to the status quo that we are ALL tired of the nonsense of politics as usual. It will be interesting to seeing what happens and despite his visible/obvious flaws many just might vote for him and he just might win the Republican nomination and the presidency.
Donald Trump will never win the American presidency. This country is NOT that stupid or that hateful.
It’s more that he’s a wild card that the business interests could not control … the old guard Republicans, who fill the boards of big corporate interests, have already started to speak out against him. Fanatical delegates might not listen to them (the Nancy Reagans, Dick Cheneys, Bob Doles of the world) but the $$$ can choke off the money supply and ensure that the Republicans have an even harder electoral year than what already lies ahead.
The thing is that the election is a long way off, Donald might still have a major mishap and lose his lead for the nomination. But at the same time the same thing could happen to Hillary Clinton. The next few months will be interesting.
I fully agree with both of you. To me, Trump’s presence does not say much about America, but it says a lot about the disarray of the Republican party. It has changed (mutated?) for the worse. There’s already rumors about a brokered convention or about what coup it would be if Trump co-opts Rubio to run as an Independent duo. I’ll admit, I’m gleeful about it.
I hope with all my heart that you are right, Lambda.
Donald Trump is Hillary Clinton’s best trump card. ;-DDDD
I feel sorry for America if Trump wins. Surely Americans can’t be that stupid as to vote for a moron with zero political experience and who is nothing more than a racist. I won’t be visiting while he’s president (and from what I’ve heard he’s happy not to allow “brown” people like me into his country anyways). Oh well.
Donald Trump Poll rise is a indication of how many hateful and racist people are in this country. DT followers does not care about the lies when told by him, only from someone else. DT has been caught in so many lies it’s just too many to list but his followers just ignore them. DT followers reminds me of the Jim Jones sect that followed him to their death by drinking the cool aid he gave them, killing hundreds. It is scary to see how gullible some people really are.
His poll rise is an indication of how many ads and clicks he sells for the popular media that are giving him coverage way out of proportion with his actual influence or prospects. The more they cover him, the more hateful he gets and on it goes. Most people don’t realize how easily manipulated they themselves can be.
@ BNA. FN
“DT has been caught in so many lies it’s just too many to list but his followers just ignore them. ”
So does DT. He ignores it each time whenever somebody proves him wrong and then he start to throw around insults and populist catchphrases. His style reminds me of this saying: “Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.”
not saying DT is a pig. It is a saying.
My eyes rolled so far back in my head, I sprained them.
Ivanka is a very classy girl. She’s a hard worker and very humble. I may not agree with all things Donald Trump but he raised some very good kids.
It’s truly amazing she can look flawless and have two children and one on the way and is able to work 16 hour workdays. Mark Cuban on Shark Tank called out a woman who said basically the same thing on Shark Tank. He said no man or woman could do that, and he’s a billionaire.
@ april
I doubt that, too. If you work 16 hours every day then you have just 8 hours left to sleep, eat, wash and dress and commute. One can do that for a few days but not forever let alone regularly.
I doubt that Trumps darling daughter would neglect her beauty sleep for work.
1. He didn’t raise her, just like shenis not raising her kids now. Ivana and the help did.
2. She has no commute, if you click the link to her 16 hour day interview, someone cites another article kn which she said she lives 2 blocks away from her office or something limlkenthat.
Well, I’ve said about racism that people don’t seem to recognize it for what it is. They recognize obvious racism–the simplistic kind of racial slurs and legal barriers–but not implicit/institutionalized racism.
Feel the same way about misogyny. People struggle to recognize a nuanced expression of misogyny. I get the sense that Ivanka isn’t that well-versed in politics, despite her MBA (? I believe), and isn’t really able to put her father’s campaign in perspective.
I wonder if she connects any of her plastic surgery (she had a nose job as a teenager, and large breast implants in her early-to-mid 20s) to her father’s objectification of women? He might not have imposed boundaries on what his daughter could achieve in life, but that’s hardly a substitute for respecting women.
Yeah he’s great to women…as long as they’re his daughters and do what he says to do.
@ Neelyo
Precisely!
And one may wonder if Trump’s daughter would have made it so such a position in business if her father weren’t filthy rich and if he weren’t well-connected already.
After all she is working for a family company so she didn’t work on the career ladder. But as soon as she was able to fill a certain position in her daddy’s company she got the position. Most employees aren’t that lucky. Many many do jobs below their qualification and skills.
And don’t remind me how Ivanka profited from a rich dad education-wise. She got an education which many can’t afford. And there was always money to fall back on.
” Just because Donald Trump plays favorites with one of his daughters (and yes, I do think Ivanka is his favorite child), that doesn’t mean that he’s not an awful misogynist. ”
Thank you for this line.
And Trump doesn’t “just say what he thinks” but he usually phrases it in insulting and degrading words which please certain simple-minded people. Those who aren’t simple-minded and like Trump will profit from his policies should be become president.