Things You Didn't Know About The New First Family
The new first family is a complicated one: President-elect Donald Trump has had three wives, a total of five children, and many complicated business ties and reported scandals. There are many intriguing and often overlooked things about the infamous Trump clan that you may not have known, even now that this endless election cycle has come to a close.
Donald will be the first president to have divorced twice
Before Trump became president-elect, only one other president had ever gotten divorced: Ronald Reagan divorced his first wife, actress Jane Wyman, in 1949 before marrying Nancy Davis in 1952. Trump is the first president to ever have been divorced twice.
Trump's first divorce, from wife Ivana Trump, made national headlines, due in part because he allegedly cheated on her with his eventual second wife, Marla Maples. Given their tabloid beginnings, it should surprise no one that Donald's marriage to Maples was equally scandalous, especially when they decided to split in mid-1997 after about four years of marriage. According to People magazine, Maples received $2 million in her divorce settlement, which had been agreed to in their prenup. As for Ivana? She reportedly walked away with a jaw-dropping $25 million-plus settlement, People reported.
The first lady won't live in Washington (for now, anyway)
A source told the New York Post in November 2016 that Trump's wife, Melania Trump, and 10-year-old son Barron will remain in their New York penthouse instead of moving to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with the president-elect in January 2016. The reason: Barron needs to finish the school year, according to sources.
"Melania is extremely close to Barron, and they have become closer during the campaign. The campaign has been difficult for Barron, and she is really hoping to keep disruption to a minimum," the insider said. Another source added that Melania "will travel to the White House as needed," but will hang her hat in the Big Apple, where Barron is in fourth grade at a reported $40,000 a year prep school. "Melania is very supportive of her husband and is fully on board of doing everything that's needed as first lady," the second source said. "She is really devoted to Barron."
Sources claimed Melania and Barron may move to the White House after the school year concludes. However, "no plans are in place," according to the new York Post.
The Trump Tower will be the second White House
Because Melania and Barron will reportedly reside in Trump Tower, insiders say that the Secret Service will make it just as secure as the White House, much to the dismay of New Yorkers and commuters city-wide.
Jim Reese, a former Delta Force commander and president of TigerSwan, a global security company based in North Carolina, told the New York Post, "That building is going to become the White House of New York. The Secret Service is going to have to keep that whole area cordoned off so that some wacko can't get close and detonate a car bomb." As a result, officials from the NYPD, Secret Service, and New York City Hall claim that two of the five lanes on Fifth Avenue stretching between West 56th and 57th Streets will remain closed due to security barriers.
Reports also allege that Donald is trying to figure out how much time he can spend outside of the White House and in New York City, according to the New York Times. In other words, New Yorkers: get ready for even more midtown traffic.
The family is pretty normal
Despite Donald's lavish lifestyle and string of wives and flings, his children are reportedly rather well-adjusted, and the family as a whole seems to lack any real vices.
Gossip columnist Liz Smith New York magazine, "Even I'm sort of amazed that it seems to have come together for these children...The thing that always guided Donald was the influence of his father and mother, Fred and Mary, who were two really solid people." "Here's the thing: Neither Trump drank or took drugs, and they didn't really play around a lot," she continued. "Of course, Donald did a little bit. He broke up his marriages, always over some irresistible woman. But he wasn't just running around and hitting on girls. In spite of making their children live in this artificial palace on the top of Trump Tower...the children, I think, were just pretty normal...they had a lot of family values."
Despite their fame, the family isn't used to the media scrutiny of the presidency
Donald may be the first president to have his own children join in on meetings with foreign dignitaries. He came under fire in November 2016 when a photo of him meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe showed that daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner were on hand for what Abe described as an "informal" chat. Former State Department official Moira Whelan told The New York Times, "Meeting of two heads of state is never an informal occurrence. Even a casual mention or a nod of agreement or an assertion left unchallenged can be interpreted in different ways." A source close to the Trumps told the paper, "Mr. Trump has always encouraged Ivanka and his children to attend meetings with him. This meeting in question was very informal. However, they obviously need to adjust to the new realities at hand, which they will."
Ivanka and Kushner weren't the only members of the soon-to-be-first family with trouble adjusting to their new lives. A source told Us Weekly that Melania went for lunch with son Barron in the Big Apple and caused a much bigger stir than she expected, with Secret Service agents covering the restaurant Serafina's Upper West Side location while they ate. "She sat near the pizza oven with Barron. The tables next to them were kept clear for security, but other customers were nearby," the spy said. "Secret Service surrounded them and kept an eye on the other customers." TMZ reports that the restaurant got a heads up that "she" was coming, but had no clue who "she" was until Melania, who usually keeps a pretty low profile, arrived.
Even Donald may be having a few growing pains, as well. Reports claimed in November 2016 that he snuck off to the swanky New York restaurant 21 Club and broke protocol by not informing the press of his whereabouts.
Donald's kids handle a lot of his business
Just because Ivanka, Eric, and Donald Trump, Jr., were born rich doesn't mean they don't know how to work—in fact, sources say it's quite the contrary. Richard Huckestein, a director of operations for T&G Constructors, worked with the Trump family and told Vanity Fair, "I would have thought they'd be more like figureheads, where they weren't involved with the day-to-day, but it was very much the opposite. At any time during the day, I would get a call from Eric or Ivanka saying, 'Let's talk about windows.' They were some of the hardest-working clients that I've ever worked with. It's not exactly what you'd expect from a billionaire's kids."
They have controversial hobbies
Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump have a really controversial hobby: trophy hunting. Neither heir denies it, and in fact, they're proud of the practice, despite coming under a slew of backlash after photos featuring their kills (including cheetahs and elephants) went viral. "Anyone who thinks hunters are just 'bloodthirsty morons' hasn't looked into hunting," Donald Jr. told Forbes in 2012. "If you wait through long, cold hours in the November woods with a bow in your hands hoping a buck will show, or if you spend days walking in the African bush trailing Cape buffalo while listening to lions roar, you're sure to learn hunting isn't about killing," he said. "Nature actually humbles you. Hunting forces a person to endure, to master themselves, even to truly get to know the wild environment. Actually, along the way, hunting and fishing makes you fall in love with the natural world. This is why hunters so often give back by contributing to conservation."
Donald Jr. also noted on Twitter, "As a hunter I love wildlife too. And [by the way] I bet the money I spend on license fees that goes back to the animals is a lot more than the antis give for sure."
Though the young men reportedly hunt through reputable outlets (hence the licensing fees), even The Donald doesn't quite get the appeal of his sons' hobbies. The future POTUS told TMZ in 2012, "My sons love hunting. They're hunters and they've become good at it. I am not a believer in hunting and I'm surprised they like it."
They know how good they have it
When Donald Jr. saw the documentary Born Rich, which featured heirs from a slew of "old money" families including the Vanderbilts, Newhouses and Bloombergs, he couldn't get over how bratty and unhappy the kids were. "I couldn't believe it," he told New York magazine. "I was like, 'Do you hear the words that are coming out of your mouth? Are you out of your mind?' Their parents gave them anything they could have ever wanted," he continued, "and they hate their parents! I'm not close with any of [the film's subjects], but it's very one-degree-of-separation."
Donald is super-close with his son-in-law
Donald is reportedly extremely close with son-in-law Kushner. "Jared has the trust, confidence and ear of the entire inner circle of the Trump administration, including the most important member of that group, the president-elect," Matthew Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, told The New York Times, noting that Kushner is "one of the most important players right now beyond the president- and vice president-elect."
Interestingly enough, The New York Times also reports that Kushner may have a played a role in New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's exit from Donald's transition team. "Their history dates to 2005, when Mr. Christie, then the United States attorney for New Jersey, sent Mr. Kushner's father, Charles, to federal prison for tax evasion, witness tampering and illegal campaign donations," the Times writes. "The case involved a tawdry family feud: At one point, Charles Kushner sought to blackmail his brother-in-law, who was cooperating with the federal authorities, by hiring a woman to seduce him and videotape the encounter." Donald's rep denied that Kushner's family history played a role in the New Jersey governor's exit.
There have been rumblings that Trump may try to find a role for Kushner in his administration; however, NPR notes that anti-nepotism laws may block Kushner from being officially employed in a federal position, depending on how those laws are interpreted by Trump's administration.
There may be conflicts of interest with their businesses
Ivanka came under fire when her jewelry company sent out a press release about a bracelet she wore during her dad's first interview after winning the election with 60 Minutes. Ivanka's company sent out a "fashion alert" to style writers and editors, which many criticized as an attempt to profit from election results. A rep for the company told NBC News that the missive "was sent by a well-intentioned marketing employee at one of our companies who was following customary protocol, and who, like many of us, is still making adjustments post-election."
Still, it wasn't the first time the model-mogul advertised her wares at the potential expense of her family's credibility: after she rocked a blush pink dress from her line to the Republican National Convention, she tweeted about it and the design quickly sold out.
Tiffany Trump wanted to be a pop star
Tiffany Trump, the only child from Trump's marriage to Maples, attempted a music career circa 2011 with her track "Like a Bird." Unfortunately, her vocals didn't exactly soar, so her pop stardom couldn't stick the landing. (We'll be here all week.)
She told Oprah Winfrey on Where Are They Now?, "I love music, it's always been a big passion for me. It's more of a hobby right now, but we'll see in a couple of years if I actually do want to take it to the next level—to a professional level. But right now my priority is focusing on school and getting into a good college." She graduated from the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, aka her father's alma mater, in May 2016.
Tiffany was raised on a different coast
Tiffany has grown closer with her siblings now that she lives on the East Coast, but she hardly saw them growing up because Maples raised her in Los Angeles.
"My brothers and sisters have achieved so much in their lives and have had so much success...Since I have grown up on the West Coast, it definitely is different than all of them growing up on the East Coast," she told Where Are They Now?. "It's a different lifestyle, obviously, California vs. New York. New York—my dad is like the center of the city." Maples explained to Us Weekly, "The truth was, the challenge was being able to balance being a working mom and being there for a child full-time. Her daddy loves her, of course, but...I was the parent. I was the parent that was there in the flesh [and] with her all the time. It was amazing. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I learned the most and it brought me the greatest joy."
She's also quite close with her half-sister Ivanka. "She's my little sister! I've been close to Tiffany her whole life, and I really love her," Ivanka told People. "It's wonderful because she's right here in New York," Ivanka added. "She'll come with [me and my husband Jared Kushner to our country house] on weekends sometimes, and she's always with my kids. She's a really good person."