NashvilleGab - Melania Trump’s relationship with Donald Trump’s ex-wives reveals a surprising family story

The Trump family’s public history includes Donald Trump’s first wife, Ivana Trump, second wife, Marla Maples, and current wife, Melania Trump. Each occupied a different chapter of the family’s history. Interviews and major family events have documented moments of disagreement as well as occasions when the women appeared at the same gatherings.

Ivana publicly criticized Marla and later drew a response from Melania’s office in 2017. Melania attended Ivana’s funeral in 2022, and Melania and Marla were both present at Tiffany Trump’s wedding later that year. Together, those public moments trace how the women appeared alongside one another over time.

Ivana publicly said she got along with Melania

Ivana Trump married Donald Trump in 1977, and they had three children: Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump. A New York judge granted Donald and Ivana’s divorce in December 1990, with financial and related legal matters continuing afterward.

Melania Knauss married Donald Trump on January 22, 2005, in Palm Beach, Florida. By then, Donald and Ivana had been divorced for years. The 2 women rarely crossed paths in public settings during those early years together.

Public evidence about Ivana and Melania’s day-to-day relationship is limited. In 2017, however, Ivana said she got along with Melania and later described her as family, saying she did not want to say anything bad about a family member.

Ivana joked that she was the first lady in 2017

In October 2017, Ivana Trump appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America while promoting her memoir, Raising Trump. During the interview, she said she had a direct number to the White House but avoided calling too often because Melania was there, and she did not want to cause jealousy.

Ivana then described herself as the “first Trump wife” and jokingly referred to herself as “first lady.” She laughed while remarking. She claimed she kept a direct line open to the White House whenever she needed one.

Melania was serving as first lady at the time, after Donald Trump took office in January 2017. Ivana’s remark quickly attracted media attention and prompted a response from Melania’s office.

Melania’s spokeswoman responded publicly

Melania Trump responded to Ivana Trump’s 2017 remarks through her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham. Grisham said Melania was honored by her role as first lady and planned to use the position to help children.

The statement also rejected Ivana’s remarks and described them as “attention-seeking and self-serving noise.” It was issued after Ivana jokingly called herself “first lady” during her Good Morning America interview.

The response received widespread media coverage and became one of the most prominent public exchanges involving Donald Trump’s first and 3rd wives. Still, both women largely avoided any further public sparring in the years that followed.

Melania Trump at an event. — *Source: mgillert/Depositphotos*

Ivana publicly criticized Marla Maples

Marla Maples married Donald Trump in December 1993, about two months after their daughter, Tiffany Trump, was born. Donald and Marla later separated and divorced in 1999.

In a 2017 CBS Sunday Morning interview, Ivana Trump spoke openly about her dislike of Marla. She referred to her as a “showgirl” and a “nobody” and declined to use her name during the discussion.

Asked about the difference between Marla and Melania Trump, Ivana contrasted Marla with Melania, who was serving as first lady at the time. The remarks were made publicly during the televised interview.

The affair became part of the Trump breakup

Donald Trump’s relationship with Marla Maples developed while he was still married to Ivana Trump. During the family’s Christmas trip to Aspen in December 1989, Ivana encountered Maples and later wrote that she knew her marriage was over soon afterward.

The breakup became major tabloid news in 1990. A New York judge granted Donald and Ivana’s divorce in December that year, and Donald later married Maples in 1993.

Ivana filed for divorce from Donald not very long after that tense encounter occurred. The messy split was heavily covered by tabloids across the country at the time. It quietly set the stage for decades of complicated Trump family history to follow.

Fun fact: Ivana Trump served as chief executive officer of Trump Castle Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City.

Melania attended Ivana Trump’s funeral

Ivana Trump died at her Manhattan home on July 14, 2022, at age 73. The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that she died from blunt impact injuries to her torso and classified her death as an accident.

Melania Trump attended Ivana’s funeral Mass at St. Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church in Manhattan on July 20. Donald Trump, Ivana’s three children, and other relatives and friends also attended the service.

Before the funeral, Donald wrote on Truth Social that it was a “very sad day” while also celebrating Ivana’s “wonderful and beautiful life.” The moment offered a brief and rare pause in decades of ongoing family friction.

First Lady Melania Trump examines the White House Christmas Tree. — *Source: Mason Lawrence/Shutterstock.com*

Melania and Marla appeared together at Tiffany’s wedding

Melania Trump and Marla Maples both attended Tiffany Trump’s wedding to Michael Boulos at Mar-a-Lago on November 12, 2022. Family photographs from the wedding included Melania and Marla posing in the same group with Tiffany and other relatives.

In a 2024 interview, Marla said she had forgiven events from the past and had discussed forgiveness with Donald Trump. Her comments concerned her history with Donald rather than specifically describing her relationship with Melania.

Melania and Marla have appeared together at family events, but neither has publicly described the other as a close friend. Time itself appears to have softened much of the old friction between these 2 women.

3 women in different chapters of the Trump family

Ivana, Marla, and Melania each occupied a distinct chapter in Donald Trump’s family history. Their public interactions included criticism in interviews, an official response from Melania’s office, and appearances at major family events.

Ivana publicly criticized Marla in 2017 and drew a response from Melania’s spokeswoman after joking that she was “first lady.” 5 years later, Melania attended Ivana’s funeral in New York.

Together, their combined story reflects the real complexity of blended family life lived in public. Old rivalries did not always fade quickly or disappear completely over time. But time itself, along with shared family milestones, eventually brought moments of quiet unity.

Little-known fact: Ivana’s 4th wedding, to Rossano Rubicondi, was held at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach on April 12, 2008.

TL;DR

Ivana, Marla, and Melania each married Donald Trump during different periods of his life.
Ivana’s 2017 comment about being “first lady” prompted a public response from Melania Trump’s office.
Melania’s spokeswoman described the remarks as “attention-seeking and self-serving noise.”
Ivana criticized Marla Maples publicly while later expressing positive comments about Melania.
Melania attended Ivana’s funeral, and both Melania and Marla attended Tiffany Trump’s wedding in 2022.

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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.

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