Ivana Trump
Ivana Trump: Allegations and Legacy (2025 Update)
Allegations of Rape During Marriage
In a 1990 sworn divorce deposition, Ivana Trump alleged that Donald J. Trump raped her in 1989 at their New York residence, sparked by rage over a botched scalp reduction surgery she’d suggested. Detailed in Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump by Harry Hurt III (1993), she claimed Trump tore her clothes, pinned her to a bed, and assaulted her, leaving her “terrified.” After the book’s 1993 release, Ivana issued a July 27, 1993, statement clarifying she didn’t mean “rape” in a “literal or criminal sense,” but felt “violated” emotionally—a shift some link to their $14 million divorce settlement. Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen, denied the incident in 2015, falsely claiming spousal rape wasn’t illegal—a misstatement under New York’s 1984 law. In 2025, the claim resurfaced in a March 5 Vox #MeToo retrospective.
Ivana’s Background and Career
Born Ivana Marie Zelníčková on February 20, 1949, in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia (now Zlín, Czech Republic), Ivana excelled as a skier—competing nationally—and scholar, earning a master’s in physical education and languages from Charles University in Prague (1972). She fled communism for Canada in 1973, working as a ski instructor and model in Montreal. After a brief marriage to Alfred Winklmayr (1971–1976), she moved to New York, meeting Donald Trump in 1976. They wed on April 7, 1977, becoming an ’80s power couple synonymous with glitz and tabloid fame.
Role in the Trump Organization
Ivana was a linchpin in the Trump Organization’s rise, serving as vice president of interior design and overseeing marquee properties. She managed the Plaza Hotel (1988–1992), boosting its profile with a $50 million renovation, and ran Trump’s Castle Casino Resort in Atlantic City as president and CEO (1986–1990), turning profits amid a male-dominated industry. Her flair for luxury design and hands-on leadership—often clashing with Trump’s micromanaging—helped cement the brand’s opulent image.
Post-Divorce Success
After her 1990 divorce—finalized March 1992 with a $14 million settlement, $650,000 annual alimony, and custody of their three children (Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric)—Ivana reinvented herself. She launched Ivana Haute Couture and Ivana Beauty on QVC and HSN, selling fashion, jewelry, and fragrances that netted millions through the 2000s. An author, she wrote The Best Is Yet to Come (1995), Raising Trump (2017) about parenting, and a Globe advice column (1995–2010). Her post-Trump hustle made her a tabloid staple and self-made mogul.
Death and Legacy
Ivana Trump died July 14, 2022, at 73, after falling down stairs at her Upper East Side townhouse, ruled accidental by the NYC Medical Examiner. Buried at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ, her funeral drew Donald and their children. In November 2022, Czech President Petr Pavel posthumously awarded her the Medal of Merit (First Class) for cultural and entrepreneurial contributions. In 2025, as Donald began his second term, a February 20 Forbes piece lauded her as a “trailblazer,” though X debates over her rape claim’s retraction highlight her complex legacy as both victim and victor.