Ivanka Trump Defends GOP Frontrunner Father's Comments On Women
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- One of Donald Trump's daughters has come out in defense of her outspoken father, and his controversial comments about women in particular.
As CBS2's Alice Gainer reported, Ivanka Trump dismissed the criticism surrounding her father's various comments.
"I think a lot of the sensationalism around this was orchestrated largely by the media," she said.
Among the comments that have gained notoriety are the ones that Donald Trump directed at Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly back in August –- after she asked him confrontational questions during the first GOP presidential debate the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Trump was accused of implying of implying that Kelly was menstruating during the debate.
"She gets out and she starts asking me all sorts of ridiculous questions, and, you know, you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever," Donald Trump said of Kelly.
Also gaining infamy were the comments Trump made about fellow Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina's appearance in a Rolling Stone profile, where he said: "Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that?"
Ivanka Trump said her father simply speaks his mind, and does not direct his hostility toward any demographic.
"Look, my father is very blunt. He's very direct. He is non-gender-specific in his criticism of people, and people that he doesn't particularly like -- or people that he does like, but thinks they are wrong on a particular issue," she said. "So, you know, I don't think that he's gender-targeted at all."
Ivanka Trump is executive vice president at the Trump Organization, and said she herself would not be a high-level executive within his organization if he felt that way.
"It's why, you know, my brothers and I are equally at the same level at the highest ranks within the context of that company," she said.
The 33-year-old daughter of the Republican presidential frontrunner was speaking at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, where she also talked about her friendship with Chelsea Clinton – daughter of Democratic frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton.
"It has not been an issue for us. I have great respect for her. She's been a great friend to me. I've been a great friend to her," Ivanka Trump said. "So, you know, the politics of our parents is not relevant to our friendship."
Ivanka Trump also talked about the Democratic presidential debate this past Tuesday night – the one where her father live-tweeted about how boring it was. She said she thought the Democratic debate was excellent and interesting to watch.
Ivanka Trump also mentioned she is a businessperson and not a politician, and she is not part of her father's campaign because she is already very busy.
