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” (Web ID: 11). 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 $14M divorce settlement (Web ID: 4). Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen, denied the incident in 2015, falsely claiming spousal rape wasn’t illegal—a misstep under New York’s 1984 law (Web ID: 8). In 2025, the claim resurfaced in a March 5 Vox #MeToo retrospective (Web ID: 3).

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 (Web ID: 9).

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 $50M renovation, and ran Trump’s Castle Casino Resort in Atlantic City as president and CEO (1986–1990), turning profits amid a male-dominated industry (Web ID: 11). 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 $14M settlement, $650K 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 (Web ID: 9). 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 (Web ID: 6). 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 (Web ID: 3). In 2025, as Donald began his second term, a February 20 Forbes piece lauded her as a “trailblazer” (Web ID: 3), though X debates (Post ID: 4) over her rape claim’s retraction highlight her complex legacy as both victim and victor.