--- title: President Trump Defends Ivanka's Use of Personal Email description: President Trump defended his daughter's use of a personal email account Tuesday. canonical: https://time.com/5460591/they-werent-deleted-president-trump-defends-ivankas-use-of-personal-email-account/ author: Brian Bennett article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-11-20T21:15:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:06:50.102Z article:section: Politics og:title: 'They Weren't Deleted.' President Trump Defends Ivanka's Use of Personal Email Account og:description: House Democrats plan to investigate. og:url: https://time.com/5460591/they-werent-deleted-president-trump-defends-ivankas-use-of-personal-email-account/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd03246a6724104e9/69893fa6656a3f913cbd60b0/trump-south-lawn.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: trump-south-lawn og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'They Weren't Deleted.' President Trump Defends Ivanka's Use of Personal Email Account twitter:description: House Democrats plan to investigate. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd03246a6724104e9/69893fa6656a3f913cbd60b0/trump-south-lawn.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'They Weren't Deleted.' President Trump Defends Ivanka's Use of Personal Email Account > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=aa17d01a-805c-4768-aaa3-cb994d9911eb&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=aa17d01a-805c-4768-aaa3-cb994d9911eb&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=aa17d01a-805c-4768-aaa3-cb994d9911eb&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=aa17d01a-805c-4768-aaa3-cb994d9911eb&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 'They Weren't Deleted.' President Trump Defends Ivanka's Use of Personal Email Account [Watch (HLS stream): 'They Weren't Deleted.' President Trump Defends Ivanka's Use of Personal Email Account](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0RliEv3Y.m3u8) (0:53)  _Published 2018-11-20. President Trump defended his daughter’s use of a personal email account Tuesday, the day after news broke that Ivanka Trump had used a personal account to send hundreds of emails to fellow Trump Administration officials last year._  by [Brian Bennett](https://time.com/author/brian-bennett/)  ## Brian Bennett Bennett is a former senior White House correspondent at TIME. Nov 20, 2018 9:15 PM UTC  by [Brian Bennett](https://time.com/author/brian-bennett/)  ## Brian Bennett Bennett is a former senior White House correspondent at TIME. Nov 20, 2018 9:15 PM UTC President Trump defended his daughter’s use of a personal email account Tuesday, the [day after news broke that Ivanka Trump](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ivanka-trump-used-a-personal-email-account-to-send-hundreds-of-emails-about-government-business-last-year/2018/11/19/6515d1e0-e7a1-11e8-a939-9469f1166f9d%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.d96061aa6a5d) had used a personal account to send hundreds of emails to fellow Trump Administration officials last year. “She wasn’t doing anything to hide her emails,” Trump said, speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House as he prepared to depart Washington to spend the Thanksgiving holiday at his club in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump claimed the emails Ivanka sent were preserved in presidential records databases, as required. “They weren’t deleted like Hillary Clinton did,” Trump said. When House Democrats [take control of a key oversight committee](http://time.com/5442973/democrats-won-house-majority-plans/) in January, they [plan to investigate](https://thehill.com/homenews/house/417603-house-oversight-dems-to-investigate-ivanka-trumps-personal-email-use) whether Ivanka appropriately used her personal email account while she was working as a senior adviser to her father in the White House. Last year, Republicans and Democrats in the House requested records about White House officials’ use of private email accounts for official business, but the White House didn’t provide the information needed. “We launched a bipartisan investigation last year into White House officials’ use of private email accounts for official business, but the White House never gave us the information we requested, ” Elijah E. Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said in a statement Tuesday. Democrats will have the power to subpoena records from the Trump administration when the newly elected Congress gavels into session in January. “We need those documents to ensure that Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and other officials are complying with federal records laws and there is a complete record of the activities of this Administration,” Cummings said. ## Transcript Just so you understand, early on and for a little period of time, Ivanka did some emails. They weren't classified like Hillary Clinton. They weren't deleted like Hillary Clinton who deleted 33. She wasn't hiring. She wasn't doing anything to hide her emails. I looked at it just very briefly today and. The Presidential records. They're all in presidential records. There was no hiding. There was no deleting, like Hillary Clinton did. There was no service in the basement, like Hillary Clinton had. You're talking about a whole different, you're talking about all fake news. So what Ivanka did, it's all in the Presidential records... Everything is there. There was no deletion. There was no nothing. What it is is a false story. Hillary Clinton deleted 33, 000 emails. She had a server in the basement. That's the real story. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5460591/they-werent-deleted-president-trump-defends-ivankas-use-of-personal-email-account/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5460591/they-werent-deleted-president-trump-defends-ivankas-use-of-personal-email-account/"},"headline":"'They Weren't Deleted.' President Trump Defends Ivanka's Use of Personal Email Account","datePublished":"2018-11-20T21:15:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-13T08:06:50.102Z","description":"President Trump defended his daughter's use of a personal email account Tuesday.","url":"https://time.com/5460591/they-werent-deleted-president-trump-defends-ivankas-use-of-personal-email-account/","keywords":["White House","Congress","Donald Trump","Ivanka Trump"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd03246a6724104e9/69893fa6656a3f913cbd60b0/trump-south-lawn.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Brian Bennett","jobTitle":"Bennett is a former senior White House correspondent at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/brian-bennett/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd03246a6724104e9/69893fa6656a3f913cbd60b0/trump-south-lawn.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"trump-south-lawn","caption":"US President Donald Trump waves after speaking to the press","creditText":"Jim Watson—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5460591/they-werent-deleted-president-trump-defends-ivankas-use-of-personal-email-account/","name":"'They Weren't Deleted.' President Trump Defends Ivanka's Use of Personal Email Account"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"'They Weren't Deleted.' President Trump Defends Ivanka's Use of Personal Email Account","description":"President Trump defended his daughter’s use of a personal email account Tuesday, the day after news broke that Ivanka Trump had used a personal account to send hundreds of emails to fellow Trump Administration officials last year.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/0RliEv3Y/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-11-20T21:37:01.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0RliEv3Y.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5460591/they-werent-deleted-president-trump-defends-ivankas-use-of-personal-email-account/","duration":"PT53S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5460591/they-werent-deleted-president-trump-defends-ivankas-use-of-personal-email-account/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```