45th President Donald Trump has released a statement on the death of his first wife, Ivana Trump, who passed away today at her New York home.
“I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her home in New York City,” wrote Trump on Truth Social.
He described his first wife, with whom he was married from 1977 until 1992, as “a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life.”
“Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric,” Trump noted. “She was so proud of them, as we were all so proud of her.”
Trump concluded, “Rest In Peace, Ivana!”
Ivana Trump immigrated to the United States in the 1970s from Czechoslovakia, first spending time in Canada before settling in New York. She met Trump with a group of models in New York City in 1976, and the couple married the next year. She became a naturalized citizen in 1988.
While married, the Trumps worked together on business projects, some of which remain the center of The Trump Organization’s real estate empire. These include the iconic Trump Tower in Manhattan, the renovation of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City, and the construction of the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in New Jersey.
President Ronald Reagan with Donald and Ivana Trump in 1985 (Regan Library)
A 2018 Netflix documentary described Ivana as “charismatic workaholic, a career woman, an equal” and a spouse Trump chose specifically because she would “work beside him and challenge him.”
While the end of the couple’s relationship was widely publicized – potentially due to Trump’s affair with Marla Maples, who became his second wife – she remained convinced that he was misrepresented by the press.
At a book signing in the United Kingdom in 2018, Trump told the press that her former husband was “definitely not a racist” in his defense.
Ivana Trump was 73.
This is a developing news story and may be updated with additional information as it becomes available.
