It’s finally happened, guys. Ivanka Trump has broken her silence and publicly addressed the recently released comments Donald Trump made during the now infamous 2005 taping of “Access Hollywood.”
In a statement made to Fast Company that was published Monday, she said:
“My father’s comments were clearly inappropriate and offensive and I’m glad that he acknowledged this fact with an immediate apology to my family and the American people.
I mean, it’s been a year and a half of enormous scrutiny, of my family, every business, every movement, action. I’ve probably grown a bit tougher in terms of my resilience toward what is thrown our way because, you know, I’ve read some very negative stuff.”
She also denied that her father has actually sexually assaulted or harmed anyone, stating:
“The greatest comfort I have is the fact that I know my father. Most of the people who write about him don’t. I do. [I am able to] to shrug off the things that I read about him that are wrong.”
Even Donald Trump’s wife, Melania, has called his comments “inappropriate” and “not acceptable,” but has also accepted his apology for them. That being said, while it’s all fine and dandy that Ivanka finally acknowledged her dad’s comments, she didn’t say anything surprising–nor does she really seem to acknowledge the depths to how scary his comments are for women.
While Donald Trump’s comments and actions are not Ivanka, and it’s unfair to solely judge her based on him, it’s also unfair of Ivanka to expect the American people not to be offended by his comments just because “she knows him.” We don’t–and if you don’t know someone, all you can do is form an opinion of them by their actions and words–and his don’t speak too highly of him. That’s something Ivanka should truly evaluate–how and why her father presents himself the way he does.
Read More:
Bracing Myself Against My Son’s Severe Mental Illness
Mayim Bialik: Why I Support This Mental Health Organization & You Should Too
Why This Rabbi Uses Martial Arts to Help Kids with Cancer
