Ivanka Trump scolded a reporter for asking her a question about her father's sexual misconduct allegations. It didn't go over well.
Ivanka Trump is being blasted for playing what many believe is "the daughter card" while also serving as a senior adviser to the president. Trump scolded a reporter Monday for asking if she believes the women who have accused her father, President Trump, of sexual misconduct: "I think it's a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when he's affirmatively stated there's no truth to it," she answered.
Not everyone is buying her argument. "It's not an inappropriate question," tweeted The Washington Post's Philip Rucker. "Ivanka Trump has chosen to work in the [White] House as a staffer and presidential adviser. She can choose not to answer, but it's a fair question by [NBC News' Peter Alexander]." Added The Daily Show's Anthony De Rosa: "It's entirely appropriate for a reporter to ask a senior White House adviser about claims of sexual misconduct against her boss. It's not the reporter's problem if our government has become a Nepotocracy."
Writer Ana Marie Cox also jumped in: "As other journalists have pointed out: It's a completely 'appropriate' question to ask a WH staffer; it's an UNCOMFORTABLE question to ask a daughter of her father but even then, it's a question both her father's supporters and critics deserve an answer to."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump made her comment from South Korea, where she attended the 2018 Winter Olympics closing ceremony as a "high-level delegate." Her four-day trip included a private meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and discussions about North Korea.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
The vast horizons of the Puna de AtacamaThe Week Recommends The ‘dramatic and surreal’ landscape features volcanoes, fumaroles and salt flats
-
Asylum hotels: everything you need to knowThe Explainer Using hotels to house asylum seekers has proved extremely unpopular. Why, and what can the government do about it?
-
Sudoku medium: November 16, 2025The daily medium sudoku puzzle from The Week
-
Trump DOJ sues to block California redistrictingSpeed Read California’s new congressional map was drawn by Democrats to flip Republican-held House seats
-
GOP retreats from shutdown deal payout provisionSpeed Read Senators are distancing themselves from a controversial provision in the new government funding package
-
Catholic bishops rebuke Trump on immigrationSpeed Read ‘We feel compelled’ to ‘raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity,’ the bishops said
-
House releases Epstein emails referencing TrumpSpeed Read The emails suggest Trump knew more about Epstein’s sex trafficking of underage women than he has claimed
-
Newsom slams Trump’s climate denial at COP30speed read Trump, who has called climate change a ‘hoax,’ declined to send any officials to this week’s summit
-
UK, Colombia halt intel to US over boat attacksSpeed Read Both countries have suspended intelligence sharing with the US over the bombing of civilian boats suspected of drug smuggling
-
Trump pardons 2020 fake electors, other GOP alliesSpeed Read The president pardoned Rudy Giuliani and more who tried to overturn his 2020 election loss
-
Supreme Court to decide on mail-in ballot limitsSpeed Read The court will determine whether states can count mail-in ballots received after Election Day
