What exact words did Trump use about dating his daughter and in what context?

1. The exact words and the immediate context

The clearest contemporaneous transcription published in 2006 and later cited by fact-checkers gives the line as, “I’ve said if Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her,” delivered with Ivanka onstage during an appearance on the daytime talk show The View while discussing the hypothetical of her posing for Playboy; the remark prompted laughter from hosts and audience ^{[1] [3] [2]}.

2. How Trump and his spokespeople framed the comment afterward

Trump’s then‑spokesman, Jim Dowd, told The Associated Press the comment “was absolutely joking,” and that Trump “was making fun of himself for his tendency to date younger women,” a characterization repeated in later fact checks and reporting ^{[2] [3]}.

3. How journalists and commentators have contextualized the line

News outlets and editors have presented the 2006 line as part of a pattern of remarks about Ivanka that many critics called “creepy” or “unsettling.” The Independent and The Seattle Times, among others, cite the same quote while cataloguing other comments — such as calling her “voluptuous” or noting he kissed her publicly — to build a broader narrative about Trump’s public remarks about his daughter ^{[5] [4]}.

4. Relevant corroboration and fact checks

Fact‑checking organizations and mainstream outlets corroborated the remark and the program context: Snopes and multiple news reports confirm the wording and that it aired on The View in 2006; they also cite the spokesman’s explanation that it was intended as a joke ^{[3] [6] [2]}.

5. Other similar remarks and archival examples

Reporting and archival items show similar lines and episodes across years: a 1999 Howard Stern exchange in which Trump said Ivanka made him promise not to date anyone younger than her, and older archive clips where he told a teenage girl “I am going to be dating her in 10 years” (Chicago Tribune archive cited by the Los Angeles Times). Those incidents demonstrate recurring public quips along the same theme ^{[7] [8]}.

6. What critics say and why it matters

Critics argue these comments are not harmless jokes but part of a pattern that sexualizes his daughter and normalizes inappropriate public behavior toward women; The Independent and later reporting use the remarks to highlight broader concerns about Trump’s tone toward women ^{[5] [4]}. Supporters and spokespeople, by contrast, treat individual remarks as offhand humor or self‑deprecation about dating younger partners ^{[2] [3]}.

7. Limits of the available reporting

Available sources document the words on The View and related remarks in other interviews and archives, but they do not provide a comprehensive record of every time Trump made such comments nor do they include complete transcripts of every exchange referenced; available sources do not mention any private intent beyond the public statements and spokesman explanations ^{[1] [3]}. Where journalists cite “a pattern,” they aggregate multiple public instances rather than relying on a single document ^{[5] [4]}.

8. Why precise wording matters in public debate

The exact phrase — “perhaps I’d be dating her” — is why the clip resurfaces repeatedly: it’s compact, easily verifiable, and sits at the intersection of comedy, impropriety, and newsworthiness. Fact‑checkers and newsrooms have repeatedly confirmed the wording and context, while commentators diverge sharply on whether to read it as a harmless joke or symptomatic behavior ^{[2] [3] [5]}.

If you want, I can pull the exact broadcast clip timestamps and contemporaneous press coverage (The View episode date, AP wire copy, CNN clip) cited in these sources for direct verification; current sources above already identify the show and the spokesman’s response ^{[1] [2] [3]}.