Why Donald Trump Once Said, “If I Had a Different Type of Wife, I Probably Wouldn’t Have a Baby”

The Republican candidate Donald Trump has been trying to present himself as a family man, and his children—Ivanka, Donald Jr., Tiffany, and Eric—are often seen with him on campaign stops. However, his remarks in several interviews show that he has outdated views about fatherhood that don't reflect modern America. BuzzFeed revisited Donald's remarks on fatherhood, child care, and gender roles in parenting from 2003–2007 in an article published in 2016. The real estate billionaire stuck to his parenting philosophy that moms apparently do all the heavy lifting as far as the kids are concerned, while men bring in the money, as was 'traditional' in society.

The outlet reported that in November 2005, on Opie and Anthony, host Anthony Cumia asked Donald, "Do you actually change diapers?" With his wife Melania Trump expecting their child together, Donald, who was then 59-year-old, said: "No, I don't do that." He even went on to explain his stance, "There's a lot of women out there that demand that the husband act like the wife, and you know, there's a lot of husbands that listen to that. So you know, they go for it. If I had a different type of wife. I probably wouldn't have a baby, ya know, cause that's not my thing. I'm really, like, a great father, but certain things you do and certain things you don't. It's just not for me."

In another 2005 interview with Howard Stern, Donald also iterated something similar: "I mean, I won’t do anything to take care of them. I’ll supply funds and she’ll take care of the kids. It’s not like I’m gonna be walking the kids down Central Park. Marla used to say, ‘I can’t believe you’re not walking Tiffany down the street,’ you know in a carriage. Right, I’m gonna be walking down Fifth Avenue with a baby in a carriage. It just didn’t work."

Among the fascinating interviews uncovered by BuzzFeed was one from 2003, in which Donald discussed the circumstances surrounding his discovery that Marla Maples was pregnant with his kid during an appearance on Howard Stern. Donald remarked, "At the time it was like, 'Excuse me, what happened?' And then I said, 'Well, what are we going to do about this?' She said, 'Oh, are you serious? This is the most beautiful day of our lives'. I said, 'Oh, great.' So I said, 'Do you want to get married?'" Maples had a daughter, Tiffany, in October 1993, and the pair tied the knot two months later. After six years of marriage, Maples filed for a divorce and raised Tiffany in California alone.

Following that, Maples spoke candidly about her experiences as a parent to US Weekly. She told the outlet, "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."

This article was originally published on 07.28.24.