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What did Ivana Trump say about her marriage to Donald Trump in books, interviews, or depositions regarding sexual violence?
Executive summary
Reporting based on available documents shows Ivana Trump made an allegation of sexual assault against Donald Trump in a sworn divorce deposition around 1990, describing being “violated,” language later softened in public comments; Donald Trump denied the allegation [1] [2] [3]. Major summaries and retrospectives — including The Daily Beast/biography excerpts cited in multiple outlets — recount that Ivana’s deposition described a violent incident involving hair-pulling and forced penetration, but she later publicly downplayed calling it “rape” in a literal criminal sense [4] [2] [5].
1. What Ivana said in the sworn deposition — the core allegation
Contemporary reporting and later retrospectives say Ivana’s 1990 divorce deposition accused Donald Trump of a violent sexual episode during their marriage; accounts retold in Harry Hurt III’s biography and in press coverage present her describing being held back, having her hair pulled, and being forcibly penetrated, language that the biography and outlets characterize as an allegation of rape [2] [4] [6].
2. How Ivana framed it publicly afterward — “violated” vs. “rape”
After the deposition became public years later, Ivana gave interviews and statements that walked back or reframed the charged language. Several outlets report she said she felt “violated” but did not mean “rape in a literal or criminal sense,” and at other times she issued statements seeking to minimize the public damage to the family narrative [5] [2] [7].
3. Media retellings and use in books and films
Journalists and biographers have repeatedly cited the deposition when recounting allegations against Donald Trump; the incident has been dramatized in books and in film scenes inspired by that testimony. Coverage in outlets such as Rolling Stone, Vice, and film reporting notes the deposition as the source material for depictions that portray a forcible sexual episode [4] [2] [8].
4. Legal context and public denial
Donald Trump and his attorneys denied the allegations in the record and in media coverage. Press fact-checking and news roundups note that while Ivana’s deposition included the allegation, there was no criminal prosecution tied to it, and Trump consistently denied committing sexual assault against her [1] [2] [3].
5. How later commentators and outlets interpret the record
Some outlets present Ivana’s sworn words as a clear allegation of rape; others emphasize her later public softening and her subsequent political gestures (endorsements, etc.) to suggest complexity in interpreting her stance. For example, Rolling Stone and Vice emphasize the graphic deposition text, while other outlets stress Ivana’s later comments that reframed the incident as feeling “violated” rather than alleging a literal criminal rape [4] [2] [5].
6. Limitations in the public record and what’s not in these sources
Available sources above do not provide the full, original deposition transcript verbatim in these search results; they rely on biographer Harry Hurt III’s account and subsequent press excerpts [2] [6]. They also do not show any criminal filing or trial arising from Ivana’s deposition in the cited materials, nor do they provide contemporaneous police reports in these excerpts [1] [3]. If you are seeking the full sworn text, the materials cited here indicate it exists in court/divorce records but the excerpts shown in these reports are secondary summaries [6] [9].
7. Competing perspectives and possible agendas to note
News organizations and commentators have different emphases: investigative and left-leaning outlets have foregrounded the deposition’s graphic allegations, framing them as part of a broader pattern of alleged sexual misconduct [4] [2]. Other outlets and statements emphasize Ivana’s later public mitigation or highlight legal standards (lack of prosecution, denials), which can serve to diminish perceived culpability in public debate [1] [7]. Note that political actors and media outlets may amplify parts of the record that support broader narratives about Donald Trump, so differing emphases reflect editorial and political agendas [5] [10].
8. Bottom line for readers seeking clarity
The sources provided consistently report that Ivana accused Donald Trump of a sexual assault in a 1990 divorce deposition and that she later publicly softened the language, saying she felt “violated” but not alleging “rape” in a literal criminal sense; Trump denied the allegation [2] [5] [1]. Available reporting here relies on excerpts and biographical accounts rather than publishing a full deposition transcript, and does not document any criminal prosecution based on the allegation in the cited material [6] [9] [3]. If you want the exact sworn language, the sources indicate it is discussed in Harry Hurt III’s book and quoted in press, but the original court record would be the primary document to consult [2] [6].