Ivanka Trump's questionable views on sexual harassment resurface after Donald Trump's comments
Business mogul's daughter calls for a distinction between 'good-natured' teasing and harassment in 2009 book
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As Donald Trump continues to breezily ignore criticism over startling remarks about what his daughter should do if she is ever sexually harassed at work, excerpts from Ivanka Trump’s book reveal her own contentious views on harassment.
The 70-year-old presidential hopeful proved he still has the ability to surprise when he suggested his daughter should leave her position if that hypothetical situation ever actually arose, telling USA Today: “I would like to think she would find another career or find another company if that was the case."
While her brothers quickly moved to defend their father, Ivanka, who has always championed Mr Trump as a proponent of workplace gender equality, stayed silent on his remarks. However, she did address the issue of workplace harassment in 2009.
Ivanka followed her father’s footsteps after his book The Art of the Deal three decades later with her own book, The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life, which detailed how Trump values instilled within her had made her who she is today. That included deliberately leaving Mr Trump’s ex-wife Marla Maples standing on the tarmac as their private plane drove off because she was running slightly late, an incident Ivanka says improved punctuality all-round.
In it, the former model, business woman and Trump employee also described how workers catcalled her when she arrived on her father’s construction sites without realising her relationship with Mr Trump.
She continued: “Sexual harassment is never acceptable, and we must stand against it.”
However, the 34-year-old suggested a distinction should be made between “good-natured” catcalling and harassment.
“At the same time, we must recognise that our coworkers come in all shapes, stripes and sizes. What might be offensive to one person might appear harmless to another. Learn to figure out when a hoot or holler is indeed a form of harassment and when it’s merely a good-natured tease that you can give back in kind."
In a May interview with Town and Country, Ivanka insisted her father was “absolutely” a feminist and used herself as an example of his dedication towards social, political and economic gender parity.
“Otherwise, I wouldn’t be where I am," she went on. "If he didn’t feel that women were as competent as men, I would be relegated to some role subordinate to my brothers. I think this is one of his great strengths: He fully prioritises merit and accomplishment and skill and ability over background, education, and gender.”
As the debate rages on over workplace harassment, Mr Trump was busy inciting more uproar by demanding a woman leave his rally in Virginia because her infant was crying during his speech.
After initially reassuring the child's mother and welcoming the sound of the “beautiful baby” crying, the billionaire business mogul then asked for the baby to be ejected from the room.
“I think she really believed me that I love having a baby crying while I’m speaking,” he told the audience after. “That’s OK. People don’t understand.”
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