The Sad Rumors That Haunt Melania & Ivanka Trump's Relationship

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For years, rumors have swirled hinting at tension between President Donald Trump's third wife and First Lady Melania Trump and Ivanka Trump, his daughter from a previous marriage to Ivana Trump. Suggestions of tension between the two women are unsurprising, especially since stepmothers tend to get a pretty bad rap. People are more likely to report positive relationships with their stepfathers than stepmothers, and tropes about evil stepmoms abound. It's easy to project cultural narratives about tension between daughters and new stepmoms onto this public relationship, and it probably doesn't help that the two women are close in age — at 55, Melania is just 11 years older than her stepdaughter.

But beyond the stereotypes, leaks from the White House have given credibility to the hints of a rift. Between subtle shade presented in Mary Jordan's "The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump" to anonymous sources speaking to Page Six, a picture of quiet family rivalry emerges that could feature on the pulpiest soap opera.

During the early months of President Donald Trump's first administration, his daughter Ivanka Trump looked like the de facto First Lady. It's easy to see why some saw things this way. After all, his third and current wife, Melania Trump had opted to linger in New York City well into Trump term rather than setting up her office in the White House East Wing. Moreover, Melania Trump appeared to prefer a lower profile than many preceding First Ladies.

By contrast, Ivanka Trump appeared to be throwing herself into the traditional activities of the role — with some rumors even suggesting she advocated for the renaming of the traditionally named "First Lady's Office" to the more encompassing "First Family Office." According to "The Art of Her Deal," a Melania Trump biography written by Mary Jordan, Melania Trump believed Ivanka Trump was making herself a bit too comfortable in presidential residence. "[Ivanka] treated the private residence as if it were her own home," Jordan revealed. "Melania did not like it. When she and Barron finally moved in, she put an end to the 'revolving door.'"

Even within the traditional family unit, some stepmother-stepdaughter relationships can involve power struggles that cause strife and heartache. For Ivanka and Melania Trump, the struggle is for real power that extends well beyond the reach of their immediate family, which can only exacerbate the hurt.

Melania Trump's former aide and friend, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, spilled some Trump family tea during an interview with the podcast The New Abnormal, confirming suspicions that the two women do not get along. Wolkoff indicated that it's the Trump way to keep inter-family conflicts as private as possible. Still, given her previously close relationship with Melania, Wolkoff's harsh assessment of Ivanka Trump — calling her "self-serving" and "deceptive" — seemed to reflect a perspective that was generally shared by Melania Trump's staffers and even potentially by the First Lady herself. Wolkoff referred to Ivanka as "the princess," allegations she might have trouble beating considering the outfits Ivanka Trump has worn that cost more than the average rent.

Wolkoff also revealed Melania Trump's nickname for Ivanka Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner, and it's pretty telling. "Melania refers to them as 'snakes,' Jared and Ivanka, and they'll do anything to get what they want," said Wolkoff. Such cutting words seemed to confirmed the long suspected rift, and don't indicate a warm or friendly stepmother-stepdaughter bond.

Some rumors have suggested that certain political developments have prompted an improved relationship between the President Donald Trump's wife and daughter — but even their common ground has a dark edge. In 2024, an anonymous source told Page Six that a guilty verdict in Trump's hush money case had united the family, including "a thaw in the sometimes chilly and tense relationship between Melania and Ivanka." Unfortunately, it seems the trial may have given them more in common than a love for the outdated trends the Trump family women won't ever give up.

While better relations between the two women might seem like a good thing, it's hard to ignore the grim realities that may have precipitated the improvement. Since the verdict necessarily indicated that Trump had indeed paid to coverup extramarital relations with Stormi Daniels, it likely left both woman grappling with complicated feelings, even as they joined forces to console Trump. It's long been true that there's no denying the red flags in Donald and Melania Trump's marriage, but it's likely that his behavior likely negatively impacts his daughter as well, making for very sad common ground.