How did Ivanka Trump and others respond to Donald Trump's 'attractive' comments?

1. A rally quip that echoed a longer controversy and drew no public rebuke

At a February 2020 New Hampshire rally Donald Trump introduced Ivanka by praising her intellect and calling her “very beautiful even though I’m not allowed to say that because she’s my daughter,” a line captured in multiple reports and televised coverage. Ivanka did not verbally rebuke the remark; her onstage presence has been interpreted as implicit acceptance, not public distancing ^[1]. That single rally moment sits against a backdrop of prior reporting about Trump’s comments on Ivanka’s appearance, making the line resonate beyond the immediate event: journalists flagged the pattern and highlighted how such moments revive debates about propriety and nepotism in the public sphere ^{[1] [2]}.

2. Ivanka’s public posture: discomfort, defense, and strategic silence

When asked directly about past reports that her father made sexually suggestive comments about her, Ivanka described those reports as “a bit jarring” and sometimes “offensive,” but also defended her father’s apology for the 2005 tape and insisted he shows “total respect for women” in her view; she has repeatedly walked a line between personal discomfort and public loyalty ^{[2] [3]}. In other instances, observers note silence or non‑confrontation—for example, joining him onstage at rallies—which functions politically as tacit endorsement even when privately uneasy. This dual posture—acknowledgement of awkwardness paired with defense—has been consistent across multiple interviews and public appearances ^{[2] [3]}.

3. Media and commentators documented a consistent pattern of crude remarks

Investigations and compilations by outlets such as CNN and others catalogued years of crude and misogynistic comments by Donald Trump across media appearances and interviews, including explicit language about women and references to Ivanka that many readers and commentators described as unsettling. These reports framed the New Hampshire quip within a long‑standing record of commentary that critics say normalizes degrading talk about women, while defenders argue such material is taken out of context or dismissed as private banter ^{[5] [3]}. The reporting dates from October 2016 remain central to how later remarks were interpreted and covered ^{[5] [3]}.

4. Former officials and staffers broadened the critique beyond headlines

Former White House staff and officials have publicly recounted instances they perceived as inappropriate behavior or comments by Trump toward women, and books and reporting have amplified those recollections—adding institutional context to otherwise isolated media moments. Some ex‑officials directly criticized the alleged lewd comments about Ivanka, describing an unhealthy workplace culture for women, while others defended or downplayed those accounts; this divergence underscores a split between institutional critics and loyalists in assessing the same set of anecdotes ^[6].

5. Fact‑checks and uncertainty: not every allegation is established fact

Not every circulating claim has held up under scrutiny. A widely shared allegation that Trump once asked if it was “wrong” to be more attracted to his daughter than to his wife was investigated and assessed as unproven by fact‑checkers, illustrating how sensational claims can outpace verifiable evidence ^[4]. This mix of confirmed recordings, firsthand recollections, and unverified allegations means the public record contains both documented instances that drew immediate condemnation and disputed claims that remain unresolved, shaping polarized interpretations of the same pattern of remarks ^{[4] [5]}.