When Donald Trump's Late Wife Ivana Recalled His Betrayal: "I Feel Bad for Melania"

Donald Trump's affairs and cheating scandals are no secret and his ex-wife and the mother of his three kids, Ivana Trump, experienced it firsthand. In a 2018 interview, she recalled her ex-husband's "betrayal" and extended her sympathy for his third wife, Melania Trump. Although, the former president vehemently denied the mischiefs he's infamous for. 

The Czech-American model sympathized, "I feel bad for [Melania] because I know how bad I did feel." She recalled, "It hurts a lot," reported Page Six. The 77-year-old allegedly cheated on Ivana with his second wife, Marla Maples, and then he moved on to marry his third partner, Melania Trump. However, in between being married, Trump has been infamous for his romantic entanglements with adult star Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal, and others. Ivana detailed her decision to divorce the Republican soon after discovering he was betraying her with American actress Maples. 

"I divorced Donald immediately [after I discovered the Maples affair] because I told myself, 'Am I going to live with the person [who] is going to say, 'I'm going to go and play golf' [leaving me to] think, 'Is he really going to go and play golf?' She continued, "I cannot do it." She asserted that her self-respect is higher than an unfaithful partner. "I have pride, and I have dignity and stuff like that, but so many women, around the world, they live with the men knowing that they are cheating and stuff like that," Ivana expounded. Adding, "Everybody handles their situation their own way." The former wife also acknowledged Trump never gave her a reason to doubt his loyalty. 

"Donald was always in the office and coming home, so I had no idea how he had the time to cheat," The Czech model said. Apparently, it was a columnist who informed her of Trump's alleged infidelity."I [found out from Post columnist] Cindy Adams. "She saw me at a black-tie dinner, and she said, 'Do you know that Donald has an affair?" Although Ivana had no sympathy for Daniels, she gave Melania the benefit of the doubt. "She is not playing a fair game," Ivana spoke of the adult star. She asserted the fact that she's "paid to strip" and she goes "pole dancing or whatever she's doing." However, she acknowledged the pressures of being the "first wife." 

"Honestly, I prefer that she's in [the White House rather than me]," Ivana said of Melania. "It's a hard adjustment because she cannot go anywhere. She cannot go shopping, she cannot go out to the theater, she cannot go to restaurants." Previously, in 2017, Ivana initiated the war of words with former President Trump's now-wife, Melania. In an interview, she claimed to be the "first wife." The former businesswoman said, "I'm basically the first Trump wife, OK? I'm the first lady, OK?" per CNN.

The current first lady responded to Ivana's claims through her communication director, Stephanie Grisham. "Mrs. Trump has made the White House a home for Barron and the President. She loves living in Washington, DC, and is honored by her role as first lady of the United States," stated Grisham. 

"She plans to use her title and role to help children, not sell books," adding, "There is clearly no substance to this statement from an ex; this is unfortunately only attention-seeking and self-serving noise," concluded the statement.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on November 4, 2023. It has since been updated.