Ivanka Trump has broken her silence on the 2005 recording of her father bragging that his fame allows him to do whatever he wants to women, even "grab them by the pussy."
"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," she said in a statement to Fast Company.
The statement, included in an in-depth feature on the 34-year-old businesswoman, comes 10 days after the publication of the tape rocked the campaign. It does not address the claims of women who have come forward in the last week to say they were groped by the GOP nominee.
Ivanka Trump has still not responded to Refinery29's repeated requests for comment.
The following story was originally published on October 9, 2016.
It's been 48 hours since a recording of Donald Trump saying his fame means he can do "anything" he wants with women — even "grab them by the pussy" — sparked widespread outrage. The 2005 tape has rocked the presidential race. Prominent Republicans are condemning the comments and withdrawing their support, with some calling for a new nominee just weeks before Election Day. Trump's wife, Melania, called the comments "unacceptable and offensive" in a statement on Saturday. Trump himself issued a video response expressing regret before pivoting to attack both his opponent and "self-righteous hypocrites" on Twitter. But one person has been notably absent amid the fallout: Ivanka Trump. The nominee's eldest daughter, who has played a prominent role in the campaign's efforts to reach out to female voters, has not spoken publicly about the tape or a separate report that her father told Howard Stern it was okay for people to call her a "piece of ass." Her Instagram and Twitter feeds went silent for two days, until she posted a photo from St. Louis Sunday evening . The New York Times reported that she was not part of the group of family and close confidants holed up with the nominee at Trump Tower over the weekend, though she appeared in the audience at Sunday night's presidential debate. The 34-year-old businesswoman, praised as the campaign's "secret weapon," has been one of her father's staunchest defenders, especially when it comes to his treatment of women. In May, she dismissed allegations of groping and other inappropriate behavior, saying, "he has total respect for women." More recently, she has tried to help him win over women voters by promoting his plans related to child care and paid family leave. Will she come to his defense this time? Refinery29 sent multiple requests for comment during the last two days, but has not received one since we first attempted to contact Trump's daughter at 7:31 p.m. on Friday. Late Sunday evening, a representative responded to say Ivanka has no comment at this time. Editor's note: This post has been updated with a response from Ivanka's spokesperson, as well as with her latest post on Instagram and presence at Sunday's debate.
The following story was originally published on October 9, 2016.
It's been 48 hours since a recording of Donald Trump saying his fame means he can do "anything" he wants with women — even "grab them by the pussy" — sparked widespread outrage. The 2005 tape has rocked the presidential race. Prominent Republicans are condemning the comments and withdrawing their support, with some calling for a new nominee just weeks before Election Day. Trump's wife, Melania, called the comments "unacceptable and offensive" in a statement on Saturday. Trump himself issued a video response expressing regret before pivoting to attack both his opponent and "self-righteous hypocrites" on Twitter. But one person has been notably absent amid the fallout: Ivanka Trump. The nominee's eldest daughter, who has played a prominent role in the campaign's efforts to reach out to female voters, has not spoken publicly about the tape or a separate report that her father told Howard Stern it was okay for people to call her a "piece of ass." Her Instagram and Twitter feeds went silent for two days, until she posted a photo from St. Louis Sunday evening . The New York Times reported that she was not part of the group of family and close confidants holed up with the nominee at Trump Tower over the weekend, though she appeared in the audience at Sunday night's presidential debate. The 34-year-old businesswoman, praised as the campaign's "secret weapon," has been one of her father's staunchest defenders, especially when it comes to his treatment of women. In May, she dismissed allegations of groping and other inappropriate behavior, saying, "he has total respect for women." More recently, she has tried to help him win over women voters by promoting his plans related to child care and paid family leave. Will she come to his defense this time? Refinery29 sent multiple requests for comment during the last two days, but has not received one since we first attempted to contact Trump's daughter at 7:31 p.m. on Friday. Late Sunday evening, a representative responded to say Ivanka has no comment at this time. Editor's note: This post has been updated with a response from Ivanka's spokesperson, as well as with her latest post on Instagram and presence at Sunday's debate.