The late Ivana Trump publicly shared her views about her former husband, Donald Trump’s later marriages, making her feelings clear. During an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Trump’s first wife drew a sharp distinction between Melania Trump and Marla Maples — dismissing one while acknowledging the other’s role as first lady. The interview, conducted before Ivana’s death in July 2022 at 73, offered insight into the complex dynamics within the Trump family and lingering resentment from one of New York’s most public divorces.
Ivana Trump’s opinion of Marla Maples was definitive and severe. During the CBS interview, when questioned about Trump’s second wife, she categorically declined to mention Maples by name. Ivana characterized her as a performer with no meaningful accomplishments, revealing that decades following their separation, certain grievances persisted. The animosity stemmed from the highly publicized romance between Trump and Maples in the 1990s, which ended Ivana’s marriage and became a subject of tabloid coverage across New York.
The pivotal moment that resulted in the dissolution of Ivana’s marriage happened during a winter getaway to Aspen in 1989. In her autobiography “Raising Trump,” Ivana described the startling moment when a young fair-haired woman approached her. Maples purportedly said she was attracted to Donald Trump and questioned if Ivana felt the same way. Ivana noted in her book that she instructed Maples to leave, acknowledging her response was impolite but explaining she was utterly bewildered. The exchange proved destructive to the relationship, leading Ivana to initiate divorce proceedings the subsequent year.
When the CBS interviewer pointed out that Ivana appeared to hold Maples accountable for the affair while absolving Trump, she concurred with this assessment. Ivana remarked that her former spouse was regularly pursued by women, mentioning that Trump received numerous business cards from women nightly and had unlimited options. She portrayed Maples as someone who was engaging in flirtation and simply succeeded without consequence, essentially directing responsibility toward the other woman rather than Trump’s role in initiating the affair.
By contrast, Ivana had no reservations concerning Melania Trump, who became the third Mrs. Trump and eventually held the position of first lady throughout Trump’s two presidential administrations. Melania’s prominence and standing seemed to earn her a measure of regard from Ivana that Maples never possessed. This favorable view may have also been pragmatic, as maintaining positive relations served the well-being of the three offspring Ivana and Trump had together.
Ivana and Trump were married from 1977 to 1990 (with the divorce becoming final in 1992), a period during which they became prominent members of New York’s elite, and she held a significant position in his commercial ventures. She served as chief executive and head of the Trump Castle Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, exhibiting her business expertise beyond her reputation as a socialite. Together, they had three children: Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. Regardless of the contentious character of their divorce, Ivana and Trump sustained a cordial rapport throughout the following decades, connected through their shared offspring.
Trump wed Maples in 1993, and their partnership persisted until 1999. They had one daughter together, Tiffany Trump. Following his separation from Maples, Trump communicated some regret regarding the affair in a 1994 conversation. He commended Ivana and the existence they had developed, implying that their union might have endured had he not pursued his connection with Maples. Trump portrayed his former years with Ivana as possessing an attractive companion, an attractive spouse, and attractive circumstances, referring to it as a paradise.
Trump encountered Melania in 1998 while handling separation negotiations with Maples. After a sporadic romantic involvement, Trump asked Melania to marry him at the Met Gala in 2004. The couple exchanged vows in Palm Beach, Florida, at an event with many prominent attendees. Upon Trump’s election as president in 2017, Melania became the first non-native-born first lady since Louisa Adams, who served from 1825 to 1829. The couple has one child, Barron Trump, who is currently a sophomore at New York University’s Stern School of Business.
Notwithstanding their complicated background, Trump spoke affectionately about Ivana at her memorial service in 2022. He described Ivana as someone who persevered and appreciated what she had. Ivana took great satisfaction in her children during her lifetime, notably when they participated in events during her ex-husband’s political campaigns. The three children Ivana brought up achieved success in both the Trump enterprise and Trump’s political endeavors, an accomplishment that seemed to bring her immense pride despite the intricate family relationships created by her ex-spouse’s other marriages.