Donald Trump’s Wives Over the Years: Ivana Trump, Marla Maples, and Melania Trump

On 22 January 2025, Donald Trump celebrated his 21st wedding anniversary with Melania Trump. This marks his third marriage. Over nearly four decades, Trump has remained in the public spotlight, in part due to his high-profile marriages. He has been divorced twice, and two of his wives are immigrants.Donald married his first wife, Ivana Trump, in 1977. When they met, he was establishing his real estate empire, and Ivana joined the Trump Organisation. Born Ivana Marie Zelníčková in 1949, she was originally from Czechoslovakia and became a US citizen in 1988. Her mother was a telephone operator, and her father was an electrical engineer. She was a competitive skier who had married Austrian ski instructor Alfred Winklmayr. She later described it as a "Cold

War marriage". The marriage helped her obtain an Austrian passport. According to the BBC, "Mr Winklmayr was a friend – and their arrangement secured her an Austrian passport and a move to Canada without formally 'defecting' from her homeland." She said the two never consummated the union, which was dissolved in 1973.

She settled in Montreal and became a model, also promoting the 1976 Winter Olympics. It was during her work that she met Donald, who was 29 and starting his real estate career. In her memoir, she described him as "smart and funny, an all-American good guy", and eventually married him. Their marriage ended after a decade as reports of Donald's affairs began appearing in tabloids. His relationship with American actor and model Marla Maples became public, and in early 1990, Ivana filed for divorce.Marla became pregnant with Donald's fourth child just after his divorce. Donald married her in 1993, a few months after their daughter Tiffany was born. He was 47, and the couple had first met at a tennis tournament. His affair came to public attention when a headline appeared on the front page of the New York Post on 19 February 1990, stating, "Best Sex I've Ever Had". The quote, attributed to Marla, referred to Donald's sexual prowess, although she has always maintained that she never made the statement. Their marriage lasted only a few years; they separated in 1997 and officially divorced in 1999.

During his divorce proceedings with Marla, Donald met Slovenian model Melania Knauss (now Trump) at a New York Fashion Week party in 1998. She had begun her modelling career at the age of 16 and moved to New York in 1996. The First Lady shared screengrabs of two pages from Chapter 5 of her memoir, Melania. She wrote about returning from Paris and settling into her New York City apartment when a friend invited her to a party at the Kit Kat Klub. She recalled arriving at the club and taking a seat in the VIP section:"I saw my friend wave at someone behind me. When I turned around, I noticed a man and an attractive blonde woman approaching us.'Hi, I’m Donald Trump,' the man said when he reached my table. 'Nice to meet you.' I recognised the name and knew he was a businessman or celebrity, but not much else. He put his hand out to shake mine.'Hello,' I replied. 'I’m Melania.'

His eyes filled with curiosity and interest, and, seizing the opportunity, he took the seat next to mine and started a conversation. He asked me about my time in New York, my Slovenian home, and my world travels. It was a moment of connection, a brief encounter that left a lasting impression. It was nice to make a new acquaintance."They got married on 22 January, 2005 and have a son named Barron Trump.