She’s not exactly the women’s champion some were hoping she’d be.
Ivanka Trump cheers on the U.S. during a curling match at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images.
Ivanka Trump seems to be operating in an alternative universe from her father. As a senior adviser to the president of the United States, Ivanka has taken on a large, albeit nebulous, role in the cabinet. One issue she has said she’s focused on is women in the workplace.
Given her father’s stances on the issues she claims to support, Ivanka is clearly working for the wrong team.
While her father has become the undisputed leader of the conservative movement, Ivanka does not refer to herself as a Republican. Over the past decade, the majority of her political donations have gone to Democrats, and she and her husband even hosted a fundraiser for Cory Booker. Ivanka prefers to be noncommittal when speaking about her political leanings. “Like many of my fellow millennials, I do not consider myself categorically Republican or Democrat,” she has said.
When her father had a hard time condemning neo-Nazis, Ivanka spoke out against them.
\n1:2 There should be no place in society for racism, white supremacy and neo-nazis.
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) August 13, 2017\n
\n2:2 We must all come together as Americans -- and be one country UNITED. #Charlottesville
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) August 13, 2017\n
Ivanka has positioned herself as a champion for women in the workplace, while her father seems dead set on rolling back protections.
After Oprah Winfrey’s empowering #MeToo speech at the Golden Globes, Ivanka praised her and asked everyone to “come together” to end sexual harassment.
\nJust saw @Oprah's empowering & inspiring speech at last night’s #GoldenGlobes. Let’s all come together, women & men, & say #TIMESUP! #United https://t.co/vpxUBJnCl7
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) January 9, 2018\n
Ivanka may claim she supports #MeToo, but she refuses to even acknowledge her father’s litany of accusers. Over 20 women have made accusations against Donald Trump, and there’s tape of him admitting to grabbing women inappropriately, but Ivanka seems happy to pretend that’s not the case.
\n“Do you believe your father’s [sexual misconduct] accusers?” -@PeterAlexander
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 26, 2018\n
“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.” -@IvankaTrump pic.twitter.com/23AVPgcOdE
On Feb. 26, on “Today,” Peter Alexander asked Ivanka about the multiple allegations against her father. “Do you believe your father’s [sexual misconduct] accusers?” Alexander asked.
“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 said. “I believe my father. I know my father. So I think I have that right as a daughter to believe my father.”
It’s responses like these that have people questioning Ivanka’s claim that she’s an advocate for women. By unquestionably supporting Donald Trump, she’s become just another person shielding a powerful man from his many reported actions against women.