Where was the peculiar plot chosen for Donald Trump’s first wife’s burial?
Did the Trump family use her interment for some extra money?
Find out why fans are disturbed over former socialite Ivana Trump’s gravesite.
Ivana Trump died on July 14th from blunt impact injuries to the torso
after falling down a flight of stairs in her Manhattan home. Although her suspicious cause
of death precipitated an onslaught of conspiracy theories from many online, it was later revealed
that Ivana had been suffering from ill health for a long time before her death,
and her cause of death was officially ruled an accident by the New York City medical examiner.
Ivana, who was 73, was also notoriously skeptical of doctors, saying at one point,
"I get more sick going to doctors."
Donald Trump, the father of Ivana’s three children,
then threw a large funeral for the Manhattan socialite, riddled with right-wing celebrities,
shocking revelations and, in classic Trump family fashion, several controversies. In the days since
she was buried, details have also emerged about Ivana Trump's final resting place. And, upon
discovery of what this decision means for Donald Trump, fans online are completely disturbed.
On July 20th, the New York Post reported that Ivana Trump was buried near the first hole
at the Trump National Golf Club cemetery in Bedminster, New Jersey, where she was
buried six days after her death. According to a source close to the Trumps, Ivana was buried,
quote, "not too far from the main clubhouse" in a rose gold-hued casket. The source told the Post,
"They have a private grassy area. It's just a very discreet piece of granite engraved with her name."
It is unclear whether Ivana ever directly stated she wanted to be buried at the golf club before
she died, though she was known to have been very close to her ex-husband right up until the end,
endorsing him in his two campaigns for president and even counseling him during his presidency.
In addition, Donald Trump himself has boasted his intention to be buried there since at least 2012.
Building a cemetery at Trump's golf club officially began in 2017, per The Washington Post,
near the start of his presidency, when the Trump Organization — at that point
run by Trump's sons — announced it would begin construction of the plot,
fulfilling goals Donald had for a while. In fact, Trump's attempts to convince local authorities to
sanction the construction of a graveyard at the location extends as far back as 2007.
Naturally, given the Trump family's long history of scandals and shady deals,
Ivana Trump's final resting place raised some eyebrows online. Many on Twitter,
in fact, were not afraid to express how disturbed they were over the decision,
largely because it served to accomplish a Trump staple: tax breaks.
Brooke Harrington, professor of economic sociology at Dartmouth College,
pointed out on Twitter that turning his golf club into a cemetery created a,
quote, "trifecta of tax avoidance." According to New Jersey laws, property,
income, and sales taxes can all be avoided for "cemetery companies." And, as Harrington noted,
there's no minimum number of bodies which need to be buried to qualify as a cemetery. She wrote,
"One corpse will suffice to make at least 3 forms of tax vanish."
Given that there has been no word on anyone else being buried there before Ivana and,
as TMZ pointed out, Ivana's gravesite appears to be quite bare, it is entirely possible that
she's the only person who's been laid to rest at the so-called "cemetery."
Sarah Reese Jones of Politicus USA, for instance,
was unafraid to voice her disturbance upon learning of Ivana's gravesite. She wrote,
"Such a betrayal by Ivana's kids/mother. Letting her be
buried on her ex husband's property so he can use her remains to get out of taxes."
After Ivana Trump died, suspicion naturally arose that there might have been foul play involved,
given the Trump family's long-standing history of alleged criminal activity.
Although her death was officially ruled accidental, conspiracy theories that
Ivana's tumble down the flight of stairs was not accidental evidently received a
surge in support shortly after news broke about the tax avoidance. One user wrote,
"Still boggled by this. Ivana 'took a dive' down a flight of stairs,
at a building where her ex-husband's 'guard' was seen, died, and was buried on her ex-husband's
golf course for tax write-offs ... And it's not being investigated?"
Another noted,
"Many people are asking how Ivana Trump died in such suspicious circumstances while Trump was in
town, conveniently delaying his deposition, and then was rapidly buried at Trump's golf course."
Others compared the circumstances to those of mobsters, with one user writing,
"So... Ivana coincidentally fell down a full flight of stairs and died the night before
[Trump] was supposed to testify. Then [Trump] used her sudden 'accidental' death to get out
of testifying and out of ever paying taxes on his golf course again. Typical mob boss luck."
Although Donald Trump and his children were scheduled to testify in the New York Attorney
General's investigation into their possible criminal dealings only days after Ivana's death,
the investigation remains ongoing — and Donald and his children are not yet in the clear.