Ivanka Trump Ignores Reporters' Questions About Assault Claims Against Her Father

She spoke at a “Coffee with Ivanka” event outside of Philadelphia.

ByABC News
October 13, 2016, 3:34 PM

— -- At two consecutive campaign stops in Pennsylvania today, Ivanka Trump, the daughter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, kept the focus on her view of her father as a “mentor,” declining to address the sexual assault allegations made against him in the past 24 hours.

In front of a crowd of local Republicans, the majority of whom were female, at Thursday's second event, “Coffee with Ivanka," in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia, Ivanka Trump stuck to comments detailing the campaign’s child care plan and discussed how she admired her father and sought to emulate him as a parent.

“My parents were strong, they were disciplinarians, both of them,” said Ivanka Trump, whose mother, Ivana, was Donald Trump’s first wife. “They didn’t tolerate rudeness, there was sort of an expectation of what was appropriate and ... I think they raised us to be sensitive to that.”

The appearance by Donald Trump’s eldest daughter came as the candidate faces a wave of accusations from women claiming that the New York businessman touched them inappropriately. The New York Times, Palm Beach Post and People magazine all reported on the complaints Wednesday evening.

By and large, the attendees at Ivanka Trump's events were supportive of the Republican nominee, saying the accusations were hearsay, and pointing fingers at similar allegations made against former President Bill Clinton.

Hillary Clinton "was the wife but she stood up for him when he was doing those things," said Lynn Montesano, a Trump supporter who attended the event. Montesano also raised the unsubstantiated claim, popular in conservative circles, that Hillary Clinton intimidated the women who made accusations against her husband.

"How do you say Trump doesn't respect women when you went after the women and instead of saying, 'Hey Bill, What are you doing?'" Montesano asked..

Ivanka Trump used the events to hone in on her father’s positive traits, framing him as a strong leader who helped many employees rise through the ranks of his company.

“There are a lot of people who manage people well, and there are other people who meet people and inspire people,” she said. “We have thousands of thousands of employees at the Trump organization and he sets these large and lofty goals but he also helps people realize them and he helps people grow into their full potential.”

Following the event, Ivanka Trump ignored questions from reporters seeking comment on the allegations.

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