How Tiffany Trump Totally Toppled Expectations At Ivana Trump's Funeral
Following the death of Ivana Trump, former president Donald Trump's first wife, the public quickly looked to the high-profile family for reactions. Though everyone grieves in different ways, Twitter certainly placed the pressure on the Trump children to respond accordingly. Donald Trump Jr., for example, was ridiculed for his delayed response to the news, although he eventually posted an Instagram tribute.
Some also expressed dismay when the New York depositions of Ivanka, Donald Jr., and Donald Sr. were delayed due to the socialite's passing (Eric already sat for his deposition in October 2020). It even led to the circulation of wild conspiracy theories that the death had been planned. Needless to say, many were following news about Ivana's funeral, and curious about who would be in attendance.
One guest whose presence was up for debate was Tiffany Trump, the only daughter of Donald and his second wife, Marla Maples. Tiffany lacked a blood relation to Ivana, and also allegedly has a strained relationship with her father. According to People, Tiffany only grew more distant from her dad following his inauguration, and the pair occasionally went months without speaking. Thus, it's reasonable that some people assumed she may skip the event. Radar went as far as reporting that she wasn't invited. However, Tiffany proved this was untrue at the July 20 funeral.
Tiffany Trump attended Ivana Trump's funeral
Tiffany Trump made no public statements about the death of her half-siblings' mother, but she did support them by attending the funeral. According to the Daily Mail, she was accompanied by Michael Buolos, her fiancé. Notably, however, she did not appear to join the rest of the Trump children at the funeral where Ivana Trump's remains were prepared. Instead, she and Buolos arrived at the church alone.
At age 28, Tiffany's the second youngest of Donald Trump's children, beaten out only by his son with current wife, Melania Trump. As Business Insider recounted, Ivana and Donald filed for divorce in 1991, and Donald married Tiffany's mother, Marla Maples, two years later. Tiffany was born shortly before the wedding.
What's perhaps most notable about the Maples-Trump relationship timeline, however, is the fact that it actually began prior to the 1991 separation. People noted that the former president famously had an affair during his marriage to Ivana, leading to resentment between the two women.
Ivana Trump resented Tiffany Trump's mother, Marla Maples
Following the divorce and the affair, Ivana Trump maintained a good relationship with Donald Trump. According to CNN, she was even offered the opportunity to serve as the American ambassador to Czech Republic following her ex-husband's election to the presidency, but she turned it down.
Her relationship with Marla Maples, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. In an interview with "CBS Sunday Morning" (via Town & Country), Ivana refused to give Maples much of her airtime. "I don't talk about her," she said. "She's a showgirl. Never achieve anything in her life." This contrasts her relationship with Donald's current wife, Melania, whom Ivana did acknowledge: "One is nobody and the other one is first lady."
In her 2017 memoir, Ivana reflected on how she found out about the affair. "This young blonde woman approached me out of the blue and said 'I'm Marla and I love your husband. Do you?'" she wrote (via People). "I was in shock."
Marla Maples had hopes to mend her relationship with Ivana Trump
Despite the harsh words from Ivana Trump, Marla Maples always maintained hopes that they could mend the relationship. In a 2016 interview with People, she reflected on Ivana's insistence that she would not forgive her. "It makes me sad because I wish her nothing but love and I've never had any intention of hurting her," Maples said. "I love her kids I'm still close to. I love and adore them ... I hope that if she's holding any kind of resentment toward me, I really hope, for her sake, that she can forgive me and just love her life."
Two years later, Maples appeared on the "Journeys of Faith" podcast with Paula Faris, where she offered further insight into her relationship with Ivana and provided details on her original intentions. "It was two people that came together and really loved each other ... There was something that was very real, and it was another time," she said. "There was something really pure to our relationship ... I never considered myself a mistress ... It was like, here's my plan, and this is who you are, and my parents were told, 'I'm going to marry your daughter.' Every step of the way I was praying, 'God, please be in this. I do not want to be a part of breaking up anything that has a chance.'"
Maples, however, did not accompany her daughter to the funeral.