Fact check: What is the status of the Ivana Trump rape allegations?

1. Summary of the results

The Ivana Trump rape allegations have been formally retracted by Ivana Trump herself. During the couple's 1989-1990 divorce proceedings, Ivana Trump initially claimed in a deposition that Donald Trump had "raped" her during their marriage ^[1]. However, she later clarified that she did not mean this in a literal or criminal sense, stating she felt "violated" during a marital encounter where "love and tenderness were absent" ^[1].

In 2015, Ivana Trump issued a definitive statement completely disavowing her previous allegation, calling the story "totally without merit" and describing herself and Donald Trump as "the best of friends" ^[2]. She emphasized that her original statement was made during a "highly tense period of their divorce" and that they had successfully raised three children together ^[2].

No formal criminal investigation ever took place regarding this allegation, as Ivana Trump never reported the incident to police ^[3]. The allegation remained confined to civil divorce proceedings rather than criminal proceedings.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual factors are missing from a simple inquiry about the "status" of these allegations:

• Legal constraints influenced the narrative: Ivana Trump was bound by a confidentiality agreement that prevented her from discussing details of her marriage, which may have affected her ability to speak freely about the incident ^[4].
• Trump's legal team's problematic initial response: When the allegation first surfaced, Trump's attorney initially claimed "you can't rape your spouse," which is legally incorrect, as marital rape is indeed a crime ^[5]. This response suggests the legal team may have been unprepared for the allegation.
• Timing of the retraction: The 2015 disavowal came during Trump's presidential campaign, raising questions about whether political considerations influenced Ivana's public statements ^[2].
• Pattern of allegations: This incident occurred within the context of multiple sexual misconduct allegations against Donald Trump from various women, though Ivana's case is unique in that she formally retracted her claim ^{[1] [5]}.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question asking about the "status" of the allegations could be misleading because it implies the allegations remain active or unresolved. In reality, the allegations have been definitively retracted by the accuser herself over a decade ago ^[2].

The framing as ongoing "allegations" fails to acknowledge that Ivana Trump herself has stated the story is "without merit" and that she maintains a positive relationship with her ex-husband ^[2]. This could perpetuate outdated information and ignore the accuser's own clarifications about her statements.

However, it's worth noting that some might argue the retraction itself occurred under circumstances that could have influenced her decision, including confidentiality agreements and the political climate surrounding Trump's presidential campaign ^{[4] [2]}.