Ivana Trump may not have made it White House as First Lady, but she enjoyed her role as a loving mother to her three children and proudly described raising them without the help of their father.
After Donald took office and even years in private beforehand, it was Ivana who took credit for the children, their success and their mild manners.
She fought fiercely for them during her divorce from their father, writing in her memoir that it was she who raised them – not their father who “provided” for them, but had no interest until they “could talk business with him.”
On Thursday, Eric Trump paid tribute to his mother after her death at age 73, writing in a Instagram post: ”It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Ivana Trump.
“Our mother was an incredible woman—a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and a caring mother and friend.
“Ivana Trump was a survivor. She fled communism and embraced this country. She taught her children about guts and toughness, compassion and determination.
“She will be sorely missed by her mother, her three children and ten grandchildren.”
Ivana Trump may not have made it to the White House, but she enjoyed her role as a loving mother to her three children and proudly described how she raised them without the help of their father
Ivana Trump with her then-husband Donald and their three children, left and right with Donald and Ivanka as babies
Ivana and Trump tied the knot in 1977. He was her second husband and the only man she had children with. The couple welcomed their son, Donald Trump Jr., that year.
“I got full custody of the kids when I divorced Donald. That was non-negotiable. But even if Donald and I had stayed together, I would have raised the kids. “Donald was the kind of dad who was in the office at six in the morning. “I took the kids to his office after breakfast and they played with the Legos on the floor while Donald was on the phone.
Next came the golden girl Ivanka in 1980, then Eric in 1984.
She and Donald finalized their divorce in 1999, but she wrote in her memoir that she knew it was more than a decade earlier when she noticed another woman.
“This young blond woman approached me out of nowhere and said, ‘I’m Marla and I love your husband. Do you?”
“I said, ‘Get lost. I love my husband.’ It was unfeminine, but I was in shock.’
She was referring, of course, to Marla Maples, Trump’s second wife and mother of his fourth child, Tiffany. When her marriage to Donald, then a flashy millionaire celebrity, fell apart, she fought for custody of the three children.
“I got full custody of the kids when I divorced Donald. That was non-negotiable. But even if Donald and I had stayed together, I would have raised the kids.
“Donald was the kind of dad who was in the office at six in the morning.
“After breakfast I would take the kids to his office and they would play with the Legos on the floor while Donald was on the phone.
“He took care of them and he loved them. But he doesn’t know how to make small talk and he certainly wouldn’t say, ‘Oh, choo, choo, choo, choo. How cute we are today. Let’s go to the park with the pram.’ No.
Ivana, Donald, Eric and Ivanka, in Mar-a-Lago in 1998, a year before their divorce
“I got them up at 7am and off to school at 8am. After school, Ivanka received piano lessons and ballet lessons and skating lessons. Donald Jr. and Eric had karate or golf or whatever it was. Then they did their homework. By 7:30 a.m. they would be in a coma and asleep in bed. If you keep them busy, they won’t have time to get into trouble,” Ivana said earlier about her upbringing
‘That wasn’t his thing. He didn’t start talking to them until they were in college and they could talk business,” she told The New York Post in 2018.
I got them up at 7am and off to school at 8am. After school, Ivanka had piano lessons and ballet lessons and skating lessons. Donald Jr. and Eric had karate or golf or whatever it was. Then they did their homework. By 7:30 a.m. they would be in a coma and asleep in bed. If you keep them busy they won’t have time to get in trouble
She was “devastated” by Trump’s lawyers’ claims during divorce negotiations that she was a bad mother.
She also recalled a near stalemate in which Trump announced, “I’m keep Don Jr.”
She shot back, “Keep him. I’ve got two others to raise,” and lovingly told how Don Jr., then a boy, was back in her arms within hours. I knew Donald wouldn’t know what to do with him. It was painful, but I wasn’t intimidated.’
She claimed the key to keeping the kids grounded was “discipline.”
“I got them up at 7am and off to school at 8am. After school, Ivanka received piano lessons and ballet lessons and skating lessons.
‘Donald Jr. and Eric had karate or golf or whatever it was.
‘Then they did their homework. By 7:30 a.m. they would be in a coma and asleep in bed. If you keep them busy, they won’t have time to get into trouble.’
Ivanka and Ivana, left, in 2001 and right with Don Jr. The children stayed with their mother until her death
Ivana Trump poses with her children, Donald Trump Jr. (L), Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump (R) after lunch at Frederick’s Madison November 16, 2006 in New York City
Ivana with her three children in 2011 at the launch of the ‘Ivana Living Legend Wine Collection’ in New York City
Ivana with Eric Trump in September 2015. He paid tribute to her on Thursday after her death at age 73
Ivana Trump Leaves Her New York Home And Drops A Birthday Present For Mom Ivana Trump Last February
It was a formula that seemed to work – or at least kept them close.
In 2017 she wrote for TIME: ‘I believe that the credit for raising such wonderful children belongs to me. I was responsible for raising our children before our divorce, and I had full custody of them after the split.
‘I made the decisions about their education, activities, travel, childcare and benefits.
“When everyone had finished studying, I said to my ex-husband, ‘Here’s the finished product. Now it’s your turn.”‘
By all rights, as children of divorce, surrounded by wealth and forced into fame, Don Jr., Ivanka and Eric could have become the most damaged, drug-addicted, poor little rich kids on the planet.
“Instead, the boys are devoted husbands and fathers, running a multi-billion dollar business together.
‘Ivanka is a wonderful mother and wife; founded her own clothing, jewelry and footwear company; author of two books (her most recent, I believe, was inspired by me); is now the assistant to her father, the United States; and actively works to improve the lives of women and children.
“I think Ivanka played a big part in Donald’s victory… Who knows? One day she could be the first female – and Jewish – POTUS.’
Ivana Trump with one of her ten grandchildren. He paid tribute to her in an Instagram post on Thursday
The children then sat comfortably with their father and took up key positions in his companies. They stayed close to their mother, often visiting her on the Upper East Side and making sure she spent time with her grandchildren.
The children were regularly seen with their mother at her Upper East Side home, which she shared with her own mother.
Now 96, she outlived her larger-than-life daughter. Ivana passed away at home on Thursday at the age of 73.
Her death was announced by her ex-husband, who said on behalf of the family: “I am deeply saddened to inform all those who loved her, and there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her New York home. City.
“She was an amazing, beautiful and wonderful woman, who lived an amazing and inspiring life,” he continued. Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric.
“She was so proud of them, as we were all so proud of her. Rest in peace, Ivana!’