Ivana Trump Was Born in 1949 in Zlin, Formerly Gottwaldov
Despite making an impressive name for herself as a hard-working businesswoman in the United States, Ivana Trump was actually born in Zlin, formerly called Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia. Her Czech father, Miloš Zelníček, was an electrical engineer, and her Austrian mother, Marie Zelníčková, was a telephone operator. Ivana was raised Catholic and maintained her religion throughout her life, receiving a Catholic burial at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster after her death in 2022.
Ivana moved to Canada in the 1970s, then the United States in 1977, the same year she married the second of her four husbands, Donald Trump. She soon became one of the most famous Czechoslovakians in the world.
She Was a Competitive Skier in Her Youth and Competed on Czechoslovakia’s Junior National Team
Ivana Trump’s sense of ambition was cultivated early on in her life. She began skiing at age four, with her father Miloš encouraging her to practice and develop her skills. As she improved, Ivana embraced competitive skiing and became an accomplished child skier at the age of 12. She joined the Czechoslovak junior national team, which allowed her to travel internationally and compete against other professional junior ski teams from different countries.
In 1988, Ivana claimed to have traveled with the Czechoslovak ski team to the 1972 Winter Olympic Games. However, this claim has since been refuted because Czechoslovakia did not send female alpine skiers to the 1972 Olympics.
She Met Donald Trump in 1976 at a New York PR Event for the Olympics
After leaving Czechoslovakia and moving to Canada, Ivana Trump began pursuing numerous opportunities. One of those was securing various modelling gigs, although she never intended it to be a long-term career. Ivana was working as a model at a PR event for the Montreal Olympics when she first met Donald Trump in 1976. Some sources claimed they’d met in Montreal, but it was actually in New York. After only one year, they were married.
In 2016, Ivana described how Trump approached her during the event, paid her bill at the bar and then drove her home afterwards. From there, their tumultuous relationship began.
Ivana and Donald Have 3 Children and 10 Grandchildren Together
Ivana’s first marriage to Austrian Alfred Winklmayr was a two-year marriage of convenience that allowed her to secure an Austrian passport. By contrast, her marriage to Donald Trump lasted 15 years. From 1977 to 1990, Ivana was Trump’s first wife and the mother of his first three children, Donald Jr. (born 1977), Ivanka (born 1981), and Eric (born 1984). Ivana’s memoir “Raising Trump” revealed that the children had playdates with Michael Jackson’s children at Trump Tower in New York.
Ivana and Donald Trump became grandparents ten times, with Donald Jr. having five children, Ivanka having three, and Eric having two. So far, these are Trump’s only grandchildren.
She and Trump Became a 1980s Power Couple in the Business World
Donald Trump was known for his massive empire of businesses, but his first wife Ivana actually played a pivotal role in his rise to cultural and economic prominence. They became a power couple throughout the 1980s, appearing in many gossip columns and magazines. Ivana became an integral part of Trump’s public image, working alongside him to continue ensuring the Trump Organization’s success. The two were often photographed out together at various important events.
Ivana was known for being ambitious and charismatic, two traits that helped elevate her to a new level of fame. She also gained much traction as a businesswoman in her own right.
She Gave Donald Trump His Famous Nickname “The Donald”
Though “The Donald” sounds a bit awkward as a nickname, it is actually one of the ways that many people in the public sphere refer to Donald Trump. Ivana Trump was the one to give him this nickname, which, she revealed in 2016, was due to her broken English. It was her fourth language, so mistakes were bound to happen. One of these was mistakenly putting “the” before names, hence “The Donald”.
In 1989, Spy magazine published an article ridiculing Ivana, though her creation of “The Donald” ended up catching on with both the media and Trump himself, becoming a publicly-recognizable moniker.
She Contributed Enormously to Donald Trump’s Real Estate Empire, Particularly Interior Design and Hotel Management
As part of her role in the Trump power couple, Ivana took several important roles in Donald Trump’s business empire. She was the vice president of interior design in the Trump Organization, overseeing many huge design developments, including the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City and the famous Trump Tower. In 1988, she became manager of the Plaza Hotel. She was also the CEO of Trump’s Castle casino resort.
Ivana once revealed that her salary was “one dollar and all the dresses I could wear”. She referred to it as “a symbol” to acknowledge her work in their business and marital partnerships.
She Divorced Trump in 1990 Following His Affair With Marla Maples, His Soon-To-Be Second Wife
Donald Trump first met Marla Maples in 1984, and the two went on to have an affair that would contribute to the end of his marriage to Ivana. The divorce was uncontested and the former spouses agreed upon a settlement in 1991. Ivana received her own apartment in the Trump Plaza, a 45-room mansion in Connecticut, and private access to Mar-a-Lago one month every year. Trump also paid her $14 million, as well as alimony and child support for their three children, of whom she got custody.
In 1996, Ivana appeared as herself in the film “The First Wives Club”, saying the iconic line, “don’t get mad, get everything” as a reference to her fiery divorce.
She Could Not Publicly Speak About the Divorce Without Trump’s Permission
Just like their entire marriage, Donald and Ivana Trump’s divorce was incredibly high profile. Many tabloids wanted the inside scoop on everything that happened, but Ivana was actually disallowed from speaking publicly about the divorce due to a non-disclosure agreement. The NDA specifically required her to seek Trump’s permission before commenting on anything relating to their marriage. When Ivana released her memoir in 2017, she revealed much about the marriage and divorce.
She even dedicated the book to her ex-husband and their children, indicating that their relationship had greatly improved post-divorce.
She Passed Away in 2022 After Falling Down the Stairs at Her Home in Manhattan’s Upper East Side
Though their marriage ended a long time ago, Donald Trump was actually the one to announce Ivana’s death, which he did via his own social media site Truth Social. On Jul 14, 2022, Ivana fell down the stairs at her home in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, sustaining fatal blunt impact injuries. She was found dead at the bottom of the stairs. Trump referred to Ivana as “a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman” in his announcement.
She was buried at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, with her funeral being attended by Trump and his current wife, Melania. Ivana’s three children and their own families were also present.
Marla Maples Is an Actress, Model, Presenter, and Mental and Spiritual Wellness Advocate
Much like Donald Trump’s first wife, Ivana, his second bride Marla Maples has also taken on many roles and professions throughout her life. In the 1980s, she began competing in beauty pageants, and was even the runner-up to Miss Georgia USA in 1984. She gradually moved from modelling to acting, then went on to pursue television presenter gigs, too, including co-hosting the Miss Universe Pageant in 1996 and 1997, and the 1997 Miss USA Pageant.
Marla has also made a name for herself in the spheres of physical, mental, and spiritual awareness, encouraging health and wellness. She champions inner peace and joy above all else.
She Attended the University of Georgia, but Left Before Graduating
In 1981, Marla began studying at the University of Georgia, but never completed her degree. She ended up leaving to pursue her interests in the arts instead, first finding success in beauty contests before working her way into the worlds of film, television, and theater. She left her native Georgia and moved to New York to chase new opportunities, finding some success on stage and screen. Marla also attended several high-profile events, and she first met Trump at a celebrity tennis match.
Marla describes herself as a spiritual person, now preferring to lead a quieter life away from the glitz and glamor that she once fervently pursued in her youth. However, she maintains her love for the arts.
She Has Over 20 Acting Credits and Many Magazine Covers to Her Name
Marla Maples established a career in the arts through her acting work, particularly in the 1990s and early 2000s. She appeared in episodes of popular television shows like “Designing Women”, “Clueless”, and “The Big Easy”. She also had roles in films including “Maximum Overdrive”, “For Richer or Poorer”, and “A Nanny for Christmas”. Her screen work also led her to try theater, including a role in a 2011 off-Broadway production of “Love, Loss and What I Wore”.
As for magazines, Marla’s early modelling jobs and later spiritual personality granted her dozens of covers, including Fitness Magazine, Jupiter Magazine, and several in People Magazine, including some alongside her then-husband, Trump.
She Previously Suffered From Lyme Disease
One of the reasons why Marla Maples is so actively involved in championing physical and mental wellness is her own history with Lyme disease. Much of her humanitarian work involves raising awareness about Lyme disease and its impact on people’s lives. She has previously described her symptoms as “aching joints and muscles” and revealed that she “couldn’t think clearly”. After her diagnosis, she was treated with antibiotics, but she now relies on personal wellness, including clean eating and exercise, to protect her health.
She was honored by the Global Lyme Alliance in 2016 at the annual “Time for Lyme” Gala. The Global Lyme Alliance’s Chairman Robert Kobre called her “a Lyme survivor” and “an advocate for others”.
She Has Always Been an Overachiever
Marla Maples has worn many hats throughout her career, finding success in many different jobs and industries. She has been an overachiever since childhood, playing varsity basketball at her school in Tunnel Hill, Georgia, where she was also a promising student. She was also her school’s homecoming queen before she graduated and left for college. As well as her work on screen, Marla is also a keynote speaker with the London Speakers Bureau and featured in the 2018 Summer of Peace Summit.
To diversify her career even further, Marla ventured into radio, too, and hosts her own talk radio show called “Awakening with Marla”. The show focuses on spiritual awareness, and also includes musical performances by Marla and her guests.
She Met Donald Trump in 1984, Going on to Become His Second Wife and Mother to His Fourth Child
Donald Trump and Marla Maples’ relationship was considered scandalous because, at the time, Trump was still married to his first wife, Ivana. Despite keeping their affair a secret, Ivana eventually found out after Marla was regularly spotted at the same events as Trump. Marla has mentioned having an encounter with Ivana in 1989, with Trump’s then-wife confronting her in public, though Ivana recounted it differently. After Donald and Ivana’s divorce, he and Marla dated, then married in 1993 after the birth of their daughter, Tiffany.
Trump had been adamant about not marrying again after his divorce, but he and Marla tied the knot at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on December 20, 1993. There were 1,000 guests in attendance.
She Inspired the 1990 Headline “Best ... I’ve Ever Had”
One of Marla Maples’ most infamous moments has to be when she was quoted on the cover of the New York Post as saying that Donald Trump was “the best... I’ve ever had”. At the time, Trump was still married to Ivana, and the headline was published a few months after the encounter between his wife and his then-mistress, Maples. Soon after, the Trumps’ separation was announced, and the media took immense interest in Marla and her infamous quote.
However, Marla Maples has since denied having ever said that Trump was the “best I’ve ever had”, despite how prominent the quote was in 1990 headlines. She told reporters in 2018 that “the truth will come out”.
They Had Tense Prenuptial Negotiations
Before their marriage in 1993, Donald Trump and Marla Maples went through tense prenuptial negotiations, which were likely so due to Trump’s hesitance about marrying for a second time. He owed Ivana $650,000 a year in child support and alimony and reportedly claimed to be worth $1.17 billion in order to overstate his assets and better protect them. Sources claim that Trump told Marla he wouldn’t get married without the prenup.
They were reportedly still discussing the terms of their prenup just 24 hours before the wedding took place. Their daughter Tiffany was just two months old at the time.
Marla Asked for $25 Million, but Settled on Just $1 Million in the Event of Divorce
Marla was reported to have asked for $25 million in the event of divorce, but they ended up settling on just $1 million, plus $1 million more for a home. At the time of his second marriage, Trump was facing bankruptcy and was also in debt, so the strict prenuptial agreement was likely an effort to maintain as much of his money as possible. Sources said that Marla “was under duress” when she signed it because she didn’t think that the terms were fair.
Marla hoped to renegotiate the potential divorce settlement when they were five years into their marriage, but they ended up separating after only four years and finalizing their divorce in 1999.
Marla Received $100,000 a Year in Child Support Payments for Tiffany
One of the conditions drawn up in the prenuptial agreement was that Trump would pay Marla $100,000 every year in child support payments for their daughter, Tiffany. It was specified that the payments would continue until Tiffany turned 21, although they could be terminated earlier if she began a full-time job, joined the military, or enlisted in the Peace Corps. All of this information was leaked in 2019 when Trump was in office, sparking discussions about his finances.
Celebrity divorce lawyer, Raoul Felder, commented in 2019 that Trump was clearly “leaving nothing to chance”, hence the “ironclad” agreement. Marla reportedly felt pressured to accept the terms in order to get married.
Melania Trump, Previously Melania Knauss, Was Born Melanija Knavs
Though she’s now known worldwide as Melania Trump, the 45th First Lady of the United States was born Melanija Knavs. When she was a teenager, Melania became a fashion model, which led her to change the spellings of both her first and last names to Melania Knauss. “Knavs” is a Slovenian surname, whereas “Knauss” is the German spelling, which the wider world would likely find easier to pronounce. Melania is a variant of her birth name, Melanija.
After her marriage to Donald Trump in 2005, Melania’s official full name became Melania Knauss Trump, maintaining the alternate spellings of her original first and last names.
She Is the First-Ever Naturalized American Citizen to Become First Lady
Despite working as a model in the United States for years, Melania Trump didn’t become a naturalized American citizen until after her marriage to Donald. She applied for the “Einstein visa” in 2000, which is a visa granted to immigrants of “extraordinary ability”, and was approved in 2001. However, it was in 2006 when she became a naturalized American citizen, which set her up to become the first-ever naturalized First Lady of the United States.
After becoming an American citizen, Melania sponsored her parents to relocate to the US through the “chain migration” process. Both she and her son have dual citizenship in Slovenia and the US.
She Is Also Only the Second Foreign-Born First Lady of the United States
Born in Yugoslavia, now Slovenia, Melania Trump made history in 2017 when she became the second-ever foreign-born woman to become the First Lady of the United States. The first was Louisa Adams, wife of sixth President John Quincy Adams, who was born in England. She held the title of being the only non-American First Lady for almost two centuries, having occupied the position between 1825 and 1829. Melania’s inauguration introduced Louisa Adams to a new generation.
Melania’s rise from immigrant model to First Lady sparked many conversations about modern politics, though she remained relatively private, as she had been throughout her marriage to Trump thus far.
She Became a Model at Age 16
Like Trump’s first and second wives, Ivana and Marla, Melania also began a modeling career in her youth. A photographer named Stane Jerko spotted her at a Slovenian fashion show when she was just 16 and invited her to attend a trial photoshoot. Jerko described Melania as “tall, slender, and attractive” with “distinct eyes”. After the first shoot, he invited her back a second time, compiling a portfolio that helped launch her fashion modeling career.
After modeling in Slovenia, Melania went on to model in huge fashion cities like Paris in Milan before making her way to the United States, where she would meet her future husband, Donald Trump.
She Met Trump at a Fashion Industry Party While He Was Still Married to Marla
Like his first meeting with Marla Maples, Trump also met his eventual third wife, Melania, when he was still married to his previous spouse. However, despite still being legally married, Trump was actually separated from his wife at this time and attended the 1998 party with a date. He asked Melania for her phone number, but she refused and requested his number instead. She later called him and arranged a date, which led to a relationship.
The media has regularly pointed out that Donald Trump has a similar appearance and age to Melania’s father, with a friend even reportedly saying that she saw him as a “father figure”, though Melania has never publicly said this.
Bill and Hillary Clinton Attended Her 2005 Wedding to Donald Trump
In 2000, Trump and Melania broke up, though they soon reunited and became engaged four years later. Though this would be Melania’s first wedding, it was Donald’s third, and, despite his previous two divorces, he was willing to do it again as she had not insisted on marriage. Melania married Donald Trump on January 22, 2005, at a church in Palm Beach, Florida. The wedding reception was held afterward at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, with Bill and Hillary Clinton in attendance.
Twelve years later, Hillary Clinton would go head-to-head with Trump to become the 45th US President. However, at the wedding, the two were friendly and even posed for photographs together.
She Was Named the Honorary Chairwoman of the Martha Graham Dance Company
The Martha Graham Dance Company is the oldest dance company in the United States, so it was a great cultural honor for Melania to be named as its Honorary Chairwoman in 2005. She was photographed attending the company’s Opening Night Gala with her new husband in April 2005. Though she doesn’t have a dance background herself, Melania’s charity work has led her to get involved with and promote organizations like the Martha Graham Dance Company.
She also served as Honorary Chairwoman for The Boys’ Club of New York, which provides after-school extracurricular activities for boys and young men, and for the American Heart Association.
Her Charity Ventures Included Lots of Work With Children in the United States
During her time as First Lady, Melania Trump spent a lot of time visiting children to better understand the issues facing them. She has stated her desire to support children and let them know that “it is safe to make mistakes”. Melania made annual visits to the Children’s National Hospital and made appearances at schools and other care facilities. She has said that her focus is on uplifting and encouraging children facing difficulties in the United States.
Melania has previously stated that she expects criticism when it comes to her charity work, of which there has been plenty, including comparisons to the work of other first ladies in the past.
She Launched the "Be Best" Campaign in 2018 to Advocate for Young People
Melania Trump has long advocated for greater protection for children against bullying and mistreatment, and in 2016, she turned her attention to the growing problem of cyberbullying. During a speech, she called cyberbullying “absolutely unacceptable”. In 2018, she met up with executives from companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter to discuss how children are influenced by modern technology. This prompted her to create the Be Best public awareness campaign that same year.
The Be Best initiative promoted existing resources and companies working against cyberbullying, though it maintained a low profile compared to campaigns launched by former first ladies like Nancy Reagan and Michelle Obama.
She Has Been Married to Donald Trump for 19 Years so Far
Donald Trump was married to Ivana Trump for thirteen years and Marla Maples for six, though he separated from the latter after only four, so his marriage to Melania is his longest. They have been married for 19 years as of 2024 but only share one child, a son, Barron Trump, born in 2006. In contrast to his elder siblings, Barron has maintained a somewhat lower profile, staying behind the scenes as opposed to appearing on camera.
In a 2024 interview, Melania stated that she was content to only have one child, though her husband wanted more. She cited their mutual busyness as a reason for not expanding their family any further.