Ivanka Trump Talks Exclusively With CBS4 About Public Lands, Paid Family Leave & Schools Reopening
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo. (CBS4) - Ivanka Trump used the backdrop of Rocky Mountain National Park to tout the passage of the biggest public lands conservation bill in at least a half century. She says the Great American Outdoors Act wouldn't have made it through Congress without backing from President Donald Trump, who she likened to the founder of the National Parks System, former President Theodore Roosevelt.
"He preserved the last 100 years, but we need topreserve the next 100 years and beyond," Ivanka said.
As is often the case with President Trump, his record on conservation is more complicated. His nominee for the Bureau of Land Management, for example, supports the sale of some public lands.
RELATED: Great American Outdoors Act Heading To President's Desk
Trump's embrace of conservation is an indication of the growing importance of environmental issues this election year, but the economy is still the top issue. In an exclusive interview with CBS4 Political Specialist Shaun Boyd, Ivanka Trump said single moms are among those most in need.
"The vast majority of them are unlikely to work in industries that enable them to telecommute or work remotely. So, how do they maintain their attachment to the workforce if they don't have, if their children aren't in school or aren't in safe, high-quality child care."
Despite the growing number of COVID19 cases, Ivanka says schools should reopen.
"We're fighting like crazy in the next CARES Act to ensure adequate funding for a safe reopening," said Ivanka.
She says the administration is also fighting for more money for child care and paid family leave, issues important to suburban moms who are a key voting bloc.
Four years ago this week, Ivanka Trump championed paid family leave at the Republican National Convention. Like conservation, it wasn't a typical Republican priority. The Trump administration changed that, giving federal workers paid leave and giving businesses that offer paid leave a tax credit.
Those are the accomplishments his campaign will focus on, but to win this year, he will need to beat back COVID-19. His daughter and senior advisor is spreading the message he sometimes fumbles.
"Practice good hygiene, social distance, wear a mask," said Ivanka. "The more we do this as a collective, the faster we can emerge on the other side."
Ivanka Trump's visit was billed as official business so campaign questions were off limits, but she didn't miss a chance to praise Senator Cory Gardner - whose race could decide control of the U.S. Senate - for introducing the Great American Outdoors Act.
She and Gardner will tour a child care center in Greenwood Village on Friday to discuss the importance of child care centers reopening.
Last Friday, CBS4's Shaun Boyd had an exclusive interview with Jill Biden, who made a virtual visit to Colorado. While many political analysts say the state is no longer a battleground, the campaigns clearly disagree.
