Ever since his presidential run in 2016, Donald Trump has gained an awful reputation with women, especially with his exes who later exposed him for various scandalous things.
So many were surprised that his second ex-wife, Marla Maples thanked him during a speech at the wedding of their daughter, Tiffany back in late 2022.
For the record, Donald only seems to have bad blood with ex-girlfriends or flings. For instance, he also stayed friends with his first wife, Ivana Trump until her death in July 2022. Here's a closer look at their relationship.
Ivana Trump On Her Marriage To Donald Trump
During Donald and Ivana's divorce in 1990, the latter accused the former POTUS of rape and pulling out her hair. She later clarified her statement under oath, saying she felt "violated" but didn't mean to allege rape "in a literal or criminal sense."
So it was interesting that in 2017, Ivana boldly told ABC's Good Morning America:
"I don't want to cause any kind of jealousy or something like that, because I'm basically first Trump wife. OK? I'm first lady."
The statement didn't sit well with Melania Trump whose spokesperson said back then: "There is clearly no substance to this statement from an ex. Unfortunately only attention seeking and self-serving noise."
In Ivana's 2017 memoir Raising Trump, she set the record straight on how Donald was as a husband and father. "I believe the credit for raising such great kids belongs to me," she wrote. "I was in charge of raising our children before our divorce, and I had sole custody of them after the split."
She continued: "I made the decisions about their education, activities, travel, child care, and allowances. When each one finished college, I said to my ex-husband, 'Here is the finished product. Now it's your turn.'"
Inside Donald Trump's Relationship With Ivana Trump Before She Died
In her 2018 profile from The New York Times, Ivana's friend, Nikki Haskell said that the former Mrs. Trump had "nothing but great things to say about Donald," adding that the two were "still kindred spirits" at that time. Another friend of hers, Dennis Basso also revealed that Ivana was the closest to Donald compared to his other ex-wives.
It's no wonder the businessman called his ex-wife "a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life" when he announced her passing on Truth Social.
Shortly after Ivana's death, Donald Trump biographer Michael D'Antonio told FRONTLINE: "The interesting thing about Ivana is I consider her to be every bit as ambitious as Donald and every bit as committed to remaking herself or creating herself."
In fact, Ivana's friend Nikki was taken aback by the former's decision to continue working after marrying into Donald's fortune. "I said: 'What? You're getting married and you're going to work? I never heard of anything like that. Don't you get married not to go to work?'" recalled the latter. "She goes: 'No, I told him that I want a job. Give me any job. I don't care what it is. I can't sit at home.'"
On why the pair got divorced despite being a potential power couple, Donald's former communications director, Anthony Scaramucci said:
"Ivana in the beginning, that was great. It was very refreshing. He [Donald] had this powerful woman by his side, but it grew tiresome for him. And why did it grow tiresome for him? Because there are no co-stars in Trump's orbit. There's only one spotlight, and it's on him."
Ivana Trump's Net Worth At The Time Of Her Death
According to Forbes, Ivana had left $34 million of assets behind. The socialite was able to get $14 million for herself from her divorce from Donald. She also received $650,000 a year in alimony and child support to raise Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric; a mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut; and an Upper East Side apartment.
As of January 2023, Ivana's heirs were still selling her "most prominent asset" — a townhouse in New York City just a half block from Central Park. It was listed for $26.5 million, but regardless of how much they get for the property, it will be split evenly between Ivana and Donald's three children.
It's probably not that much for them, though. In 2019, Forbes estimated Don Jr. and Eric's net worth to be about $25 million each, while Ivanka had around $375 million. The latter's husband Jared Kushner is also worth $800 million.
Ivana had a close bond with all her children. At her funeral, Ivanka spoke highly of her work ethic during her eulogy:
"Growing up, my mother didn't tell me a woman could do anything she wanted to, she showed me. She was a trailblazer by men and women alike. My mother once told me there was nothing she couldn't do in heels. She taught us how to spearfish and then cook what we caught. My mom expanded our mind."