News

Ivana Trump Just Weighed In On Ivanka & Melania's Relationship With Some Surprising Shade

by Chelsea Stewart
Mark Wilson/Getty Images News/Getty Images/Grant Lamos IV/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

There has been one report after another claiming that Ivanka and Melania Trump don't have the warmest relationship. But things are much rosier than they appear, according to Ivana Trump. In an interview with The Atlantic published on Friday, April 12, the president's first wife opened up about the state of the relationship between Ivanka and Ivanka's stepmother and, while the message was sweet, Ivana Trump's comments about Ivanka and Melania's relationship toss shade at Marla Maples.

"[Ivanka] likes [Melania] fine — because she didn’t cause me to break up the marriage like the other one — I don’t even want to pronounce her name,” Ivana said in reference to Marla Maples.

DANGGGG. Sounds like her history with Maples still stings.

If you need a refresher, Ivana and Donald Trump's 12-year marriage came to an end in 1989 when it was revealed that he'd been having an affair with Maples. The affair was made public after Trump reportedly tried to bring Maples on a family vacation, flying her out and stashing her in a penthouse close to him, and hid it unsuccessfully from Ivana. The two women reportedly engaged in a screaming match, in which Maples reportedly exclaimed, per The Atlantic, “It’s out! It’s finally out!” Ivana also detailed the incident in a 1991 20/20 interview with Barbara Walters.

As you can probably imagine, a nasty divorce soon followed, with Ivana later saying that Maples "ruined" their relationship. And by 1993, Maples had given birth to Trump's second-oldest daughter, Tiffany, and married him. It was a real mess.

Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

So it shouldn't be surprising that Ivanka, Ivana's daughter, doesn't appear to be all that fond of Maples, either. When asked whether she was close to Maples in a 2016 interview with People, Ivanka said, "I’m not." She added, "Really my relationship is with Tiffany." (Hey, she's got a point there.)

While reports have said she also has a complicated relationship with Melania, there are clues that have suggested otherwise. Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for the first lady, told The Atlantic that Melania and Ivanka have “always shared a close relationship and still do today.”

Now mix that in with all the sweet things Ivanka has said about her stepmother. According to The Huffington Post, Ivanka dedicated a section to Melania in her 2017 book Women Who Work, writing:

Melania, you are an unbelievable mother with a heart of gold. You give generously of your time and attention and I appreciate your support and friendship.

The first daughter also sent Melania a heartfelt message for her birthday that year via Twitter, writing, "Happy Birthday to our First Lady (and my incredible step-mom!) Melania Trump. A wonderful example of kindness and grace for us all!"

Meanwhile, Melania opened up about her stepchildren in a 2016 interview with Harper's Bazaar and shared some friendly comments about their relationship, saying, "They are grown-up. I don’t see myself as their mother. I am their friend, and I’m here when they need me." Well, it seems like Ivanka is fond of Melania as her friend, then

Sounds good to me. When it comes to Ivana's feelings about Maples, though, I don't think there will be anything "friendly" there in the near future. We'll see.