Ivana Trump was Donald Trump’s first wife, the mother of his three eldest children, and a businesswoman in her own right who helped shape the Trump Organization’s image during the 1980s.
Early life. Born Ivana Zelnickova, she grew up under Communist rule in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia (now Zlin), near Prague. She competed as a skier in the Czechoslovakian national system and later for Charles University in Prague, where she earned a master’s degree in physical education and languages. She then moved to Canada, following professional skier George Syrovatka, and began modeling.
A portrait of Ivana Trump in her signature blonde updo, wearing pink drop earrings and a white jacket.
Marriage to Donald Trump. She met Donald Trump in 1976 while on a work trip to New York City, and the couple married in 1977. Their first son, Donald Trump Jr., was born that same year, followed by daughter Ivanka in 1981 and son Eric in 1984. She quickly saw him as “smart and funny — an all-America good guy,” as she later wrote.
Ivana Trump smiles as she holds up an official certificate, standing beside Donald Trump
Their first son, Donald Trump Jr., was born that same year, followed by daughter Ivanka in 1981 and son Eric in 1984. She quickly saw him as “smart and funny — an all-America good guy,” as she later wrote.
Ivana Trump with her family on a staircase, dressed in red, in a photo from the 1980s.
Role in the Trump Organization. Ivana worked as vice president of interior design for the Trump Organization and later served as CEO of some Trump hotel properties. She managed one of Trump’s Atlantic City casinos and played a hands-on role in Trump Tower, even overruling architects to install its 60-foot atrium waterfall and personally selecting the marble that lines its floors and walls. The couple built several of Trump’s signature buildings together and became fixtures of New York tabloid culture during the era.
Divorce. Their high-profile split, rumored to have been caused in part by Donald Trump’s affair with actress Marla Maples, was closely followed by New York’s tabloids, and the couple divorced in the early 1990s (finalized in 1992). During the proceedings, she made an allegation of “rape” in a deposition tied to the 1993 book Lost Tycoon, but she walked back the characterization in a statement given just before the book’s printing, clarifying she did not want the word interpreted “in a literal or criminal sense.”
Later life. Ivana went on to build her own business career, developing clothing, jewelry, and beauty lines, and writing several books. She became something of a pop-culture icon for her 1980s glamour and signature blonde updo, reportedly influencing the character Patsy Stone in “Absolutely Fabulous,” and appeared in the 1996 film “The First Wives Club.” She was married four times in total. In her later years she remained on good terms with Donald Trump, saying they spoke about once a week, and described herself as both a supporter and informal adviser to him.
Ivana Trump at an evening event in her later years, wearing a beaded lace top and layered necklaces.
Death. Ivana Trump died on July 14, 2022, at age 73, found at her home in New York City; police said she was found dead at the bottom of a staircase with no signs of foul play, and reports indicated the death appeared to be an accidental fall.
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