Ivanka Trump: My father is ‘not a groper’

NEW YORK – Ivanka Trump is defending her father Donald against charges that he mistreats women, insisting that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is “not a groper.”

Ivanka Trump, who has been one of her father’s most effective surrogates, was interviewed Wednesday on “CBS This Morning” and pressed about recent allegations from several women about her father’s behaviour.

The candidate’s daughter denied that Trump frequently comments on women’s bodies and appearances. She also said she did not believe a claim that her father had groped a woman in a business meeting.

“Well, look, I’m– I’m not in every interaction my father has,” said Ivanka Trump. “But he’s not a groper. It’s not who he is.”

Ivanka Trump had previously voted for and donated to Hillary Clinton. She says she believes Clinton is now making gender a major factor in the race and that she wouldn’t vote for someone solely because of gender.

As Trump prepared to take on Hillary Clinton in the general election, his past treatment of women has come under renewed scrutiny and several polls have him with poor approval ratings with women. Ivanka Trump ducked questions as to whether it was appropriate for Bill Clinton’s infidelities to be campaign trail fodder, saying “You will have to ask my father about it.” But she insisted that Clinton was also making gender a major factor in the race.

“I think she’s using gender as well,” Ivanka Trump said. “I’m not going to advocate for a female leader who I’m voting for solely on the basis of gender. And I think a lot of people feel that way.”

Ivanka Trump — who has a successful apparel line and, along with her two brothers, has largely run her father’s business during the campaign — had previously voted for and donated to Clinton.