Ivanka Trump Cuts Short Interview Amid Questions About Donald’s ‘Incovenient’ Pregnancy Remark

Ivanka Trump Image by Getty Images

By Thea Glassman September 15, 2016

Things got heated between Ivanka Trump and Cosmopolitan reporter Prachi Gupta during an interview discussing Donald Trump’s child care and maternity leave plan on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old, who played a major role in shaping the new proposal, has been lending a hand in her father’s outreach efforts to secure female voters (as of August, 65% of women reported feeling negatively about the candidate).

Gupta prodded Trump early on in the interview about the plan’s disregard of paternity leave.

“This is a giant leap from where we are today, which is sadly, nothing,” Trump responded. “Both sides of the aisle have been unable to agree on this issue, so I think this takes huge advancement.”

The business mogul initially pointed to the proposal’s benefits to same-sex couples—though after some further questioning, she conceded that same-sex male couples would be exempt from special leave.

“The policy is fleshed out online, so you can go see all the elements of it,” she said. “But the original intention of the plan is to help mothers in recovery in the immediate aftermath of childbirth.”

The conversation turned dicey when Gupta pointed out a time when Donald Trump called pregnancy an “inconvenience” to employers.

“So I think that you have a lot of negativity in these questions, and I think my father has put forth a very comprehensive and really revolutionary plan to deal with a lot of issues,” Ivanka responded. “So I don’t know how useful it is to spend too much time with you on this if you’re going to make a comment like that.”

She went on to say that her father is a “great advocate” of women in the workforce. When Gupta asked how the plan would be paid for (citing the Republican nominee’s proposals for increased defense spending, tax cuts and a wall at the Mexican Border), Trump said the answer would come from her father’s new tax reform plan—set to be released today.

Then she ended the phone call.

Donald Trump’s full child care and maternity leave plan can be viewed here.

Thea Glassman is a Multimedia Fellow at the Forward. Reach her at glassman@forward.com and on Twitter at @theakglassman.

Thea Glassman was an associate editor for the Forward. Follow her on twitter @theakglassman.

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