In what appeared to be a pretaped interview Tuesday morning on ABC’s Good Morning America, Ivanka Trump defended her father, Donald Trump, and said the Republicans not attending this week’s Republican National Convention "don’t want to be part of the future."
Many party players like Marco Rubio, Mitt Romney, and John McCain have all decided not to attend this year’s RNC, something over which Trump expressed little remorse.
"That’s their choice if they don’t want to be part of the narrative, if they don’t want to be part of the future," Trump said. "But this really is about a forward-looking moment."
When asked by GMA’s Lara Spencer what makes Trump such a polarizing figure in the party, Trump said the reason was because her father is an "outsider." She also called him "the messenger of the people" and "the people’s candidate."
"I don’t know that people appreciate his tremendous empathy and his warmth, but they should," she said. "Our country needs a president who’s able to dream big."
When asked about Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick, Mike Pence, who is largely seen as a move to solidify the Republican base, Ivanka Trump she had some say in the matter but it was her father who made the final pick.
Spencer: Did you and your brothers all agree—
Trump: It was my father’s decision.
Spencer: But you all weighed in?
Trump: We did weigh in. We did weigh in. But ultimately it was his decision.
Ivanka Trump, who has had a growing influence in her father’s campaign, is set to speak Thursday night at the RNC, the same night Donald Trump will accept the nomination to become the Republican presidential candidate.
