President Donald Trump, 78, spent 15 years married to his first wife, the late Czech-American socialite Ivana Trump (née Zelníčková) before a bitter divorce ended the marriage in 1992. The celebrity couple parted ways after Donald began an affair with former model Marla Maples, 61, who eventually became the wealthy real estate mogul’s second wife.
After their introduction at a celebrity tennis match in 1985, Donald and Marla’s extramarital affair became widely publicized. In her 2017 memoir, “Raising Trump: Family Values from America’s First Mother,” Ivana addressed her husband’s open infidelity.
The Trumps vacationed at a resort in Aspen, Colorado, in December of 1989. According to Inquisitr, Ivana recalled Marla showing up at their resort’s restaurant while she was having dinner with her husband.
“This young blond woman approached me out of the blue and said, ‘I’m Marla and I love your husband. Do you?’ I said, ‘Get lost. I love my husband.’ It was unladylike but I was in shock,” Ivana wrote.
Marla gave her account of the confrontation with Ivana in Apsen in a 1990 interview with Vanity Fair. Donald seemingly had his mistress flown to the city for the holiday season.
“She couldn’t pronounce my name, but she was asking me if I was Moola or whatever,” Marla recalled about the incident with Ivana. “She just asked if I was the one who had been loving her husband for years. … I didn’t want to scream.”
Marla’s alleged bold remarks in private were outdone by her alleged statements to the media as the former beauty pageant contestant’s scandalous relationship with Donald made news.
In February 1990, the New York Post quoted Marla saying “Best Sex I’ve Ever Had” on the newspaper’s front page. The eye-catching headline ran when Trump was still legally married to Ivana.
However, Marla denied she was the person praising Donald’s sexual prowess to the Post. In 2018, she gave an on-the-record comment to the daily tabloid about the infamous story.
“I never said that, someone else said that. [But] is it true? I’m not going to talk about that. The truth will come out, just not here,” Marla insisted.
Marla gave birth to Donald’s fourth child, Tiffany Trump, on Oct. 13, 1993. The 47th President of the United States had his three oldest children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric with Ivana.
In 2005, Donald married Slovenian model Melania Trump (née Knauss). They have one son, 18-year-old Barron Trump. Donald and Melania re-entered the White House as the first family for the second time on Jan. 20, 2025.
Despite a toxic breakup, Ivana dedicated her “Raising Trump” memoir to Donald and their three children.
“I was a tough and loving mother who taught them the value of a dollar, not to lie, cheat, or steal, respect for others, and other life lessons that I’ll share now in ‘Raising Trump,’” Ivana stated, per People.
Ivana was married to her first husband, Alfred Winklmayr, from 1971 to 1973. Following her 1992 divorce from Donald, the businesswoman married Italian entrepreneur Riccardo Mazzucchelli in 1995.
Riccardo and Ivana’s marriage came to an end in 1997, and she moved on to wed Italian actor Rossano Rubicondi in 2008. They divorced before their first anniversary in 2009 but continued dating off and on for another ten years.
Ivana died in her New York City home on July 14, 2022, at 73 years old. She was buried at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in Bedminster, New Jersey.
“Heartbroken by the passing of my mother. Mom was brilliant, charming, passionate, and wickedly funny,” Ivanka tweeted on the day of her mother’s passing.
The First Daughter added, “She lived life to the fullest — never forgoing an opportunity to laugh and dance. I will miss her forever and will keep her memory alive in our hearts always.”
Ivanka’s siblings, Don Jr. and Eric, shared personal messages about their mother on Instagram too. Don Jr. thanked Ivana for instilling “incredible values and personality traits” in him. Eric called his mom an “incredible woman” and a “survivor.”
