Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
Did Ivana Trump ever retract or clarify her rape allegations against Donald Trump?
Executive summary
Ivana Trump alleged in a 1989 divorce deposition that an incident left her feeling “violated” and that she had used the word “rape”; she later said she did not mean the word “rape” in a literal or criminal sense and publicly softened the claim [1] [2]. Multiple news outlets and reference works report that she “walked back” or “retracted” the more literal reading of the accusation during the 1990s and in later interviews [3] [4].
1. The original allegation: deposition language and published reporting
During the Trumps’ divorce process, Ivana described a 1989 incident in which she said Donald Trump “behaved very differently” and that, “as a woman, I felt violated,” a passage reported in Harry Hurt III’s 1993 book and quoted in other summaries of the dispute; the book and contemporaneous summaries record that she used the word “rape” to describe the episode in some accounts [1] [2].
2. The public softening: explicit clarifications in the 1990s and afterward
Before and around the book’s 1993 publication Ivana provided a statement that she “referred to this as a ‘rape’, but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense,” language reproduced in several summaries and encyclopedic entries [1] [2]. Reporting and later interviews likewise describe her as having “softened” or “walked back” the allegation when it resurfaced in the 2010s [3] [4].
3. How major outlets and fact-checkers present the timeline
News organizations and fact-checkers treating the broader catalog of allegations against Donald Trump note Ivana’s deposition accusation alongside her subsequent disavowal of a literal criminal meaning; for example, the AP notes she “accused” him in a deposition but frames there being no independent proof of sexual assault and cites her later statements [5]. The Guardian’s timeline likewise records that after the divorce settlement and the allegation’s publication in 1993, “Ivana softened the claim” [6].
4. Legal context and confidentiality restrictions
Reporting mentions that the Trumps’ divorce settlement included confidentiality terms that limited public discussion of their marriage, and coverage notes the legal and social context that affected how the allegation was handled publicly [2] [7]. Available sources do not provide a public criminal investigation or court finding tied to Ivana’s deposition; they instead document deposition statements and later public comments [1] [2].
5. What “retracted” or “walked back” means in the record
Multiple sources use phrases such as “walked back,” “softened,” or “retracted the use of the word ‘rape’” to describe Ivana’s later statements [3] [8]. The most specific formulation reproduced in books and news reports is her statement that she did not want the word “rape” interpreted in a “literal or criminal sense,” which reporters and fact-checkers treat as a clarification rather than an unambiguous, formal legal retraction [1] [2].
6. Diverging framings and possible motives to note
Some outlets present Ivana’s later comments as a straightforward retraction; others frame them as a narrowing of language from “rape” to “felt violated,” noting the involvement of lawyers and settlement terms. Time and Fox News reporting highlighted that the Trump campaign and counsel pushed back on the original reporting and that Ivana’s later statements were circulated as part of that pushback [3] [9]. Commentators also note that confidentiality agreements and political context can create incentives to emphasize or de-emphasize past statements [2].
7. How later media and cultural portrayals treat the incident
When later films and profiles revived the scene, press coverage reiterated that Ivana had previously accused Trump and “later recanted” or softened the language; contemporary reporting often links the original deposition, her 1993 wording, and subsequent clarifications in summarizing the episode [10] [8].
8. Bottom line and limitations of the available record
The available sources document an initial deposition allegation in which Ivana said she felt “violated” and was reported to have used the word “rape,” and they document her later statement that she did not intend “rape” to be read in a literal or criminal sense [1] [2]. Sources do not report a criminal charge or a court finding on that specific allegation; nor do the provided sources offer a fully verbatim timeline of every public comment she made, so finer details of when and exactly how she “retracted” or clarified vary across accounts [6] [3].
If you want, I can assemble the exact quoted passages from the cited reports (book excerpt, deposition language, and Ivana’s later statements) side-by-side so you can see the precise wording and dates each outlet reproduces.