Donald Trump Called His Beach House ‘Marla Lago’ Over An Affair Joke About His Ex-Wife

Marla Maples earned the tag of a 'mistress and homewrecker' after the rumours of Donald Trump cheating on his first wife Ivana circulated during the 80s'. However, after months of hiding, the media finally witnessed a glimpse of Trump's newfound lover Maples. And she marveled at the prospects of being Trump's new muse. 

Larry Ruso, a Trump ally, allowed Maples to reside in his Southampton beach house after the news broke that the businessman's marriage to Ivana, the mother of his three children, was on the verge of breaking due to a Georgian blonde beauty. During a TV interview orchestrated by Russo, Maples joked, "Now he calls his beach house 'Marla Lago,'" referring to his luxurious property in Palm Beach, Florida, per Vanity Fair. 

Though it was a cute joke made by a woman in love, Maples' existence in Trump's life negatively affected his business and his public image. For instance, Ivana was suing to invalidate a contract she signed with Trump that mentioned he'd give her $25 million in the event of divorce. For that, she had to prove that Maples was in her husband's life when he was still officially married to her. This, of course, concerned the employees. 

Meanwhile, Maples finally felt free to openly talk about her love for Trump and was more than happy to have some recognition. But it did come with a cost. The media continued to refer to her as the "other woman" who came in between a happily married couple and broke an innocent family. However, she long argued that she wasn't responsible for the problems in their marriage. 

In ABC's PrimeTime Live with Diane Sawyer, when she was still dating Trump, she claimed that she was "in love" with the entrepreneur-turned-politician. But also noted that "they've had a long marriage and, as Donald has said himself, 'People just grow apart,'" per The Washington Post. But due to media scrutiny, she went into a temporary exile to save herself and Trump from further public humiliation. 

"I didn't want to bring any more havoc into my friends' lives," she added. "I knew I had to get away. I knew I needed to turn off the television, not read newspapers, just not be affected by words. I needed to get back to what's real." Though the freedom of openly discussing her love affair with Trump gave her some sense of relief, she "hoped that it could have stayed more private [and] she wanted to be "very careful" about the decisions she made. 

But she eventually emerged from her exile because she felt her family had been "besieged by the press, and I feel like it's time that I step out and I take the heat for a bit for what they've had to go through." For her part, she always wanted to marry Trump from the time they met and hoped to do it with dignity.