President Donald Trump on Monday night denied reports that he had insisted on making his daughter, Ivanka Trump, his running mate during the 2016 elections.
“Now Fake News @CNN is actually reporting that I wanted my daughter, Ivanka, to run with me as my Vice President in 2016 Election,” Trump tweeted, incorrectly attributing the report to CNN (it was the Washington Post and Bloomberg News). “Wrong and totally ridiculous. These people are sick!”
On Monday, the Post and Bloomberg News reported on former 2016 Trump campaign deputy manager Rick Gates’ upcoming book that alleged then-candidate Trump had pushed for Ivanka to be his running mate.
“She’s bright, she’s smart, she’s beautiful, and the people would love her!” Trump told campaign staffers, according to Gates. The GOP candidate would reportedly go on to recommend his daughter several times in the following weeks, prompting the campaign to include Ivanka in the polling for potential running mates twice.
Gates recounted that Ivanka eventually told her father that her being on the ticket was “not a good idea.” Later, then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) became Trump’s running mate instead.
After winning the race in 2016, Trump appointed Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, as White House senior advisers.
