A sudden, tragic death. Postponed depositions.
Online theorizing. Keep watching for what some self-appointed social media sleuths
are saying about what they see as the suspicious timing of Ivana Trump's death.
On July 14, 2022, Ivana Trump, former President Donald Trump's first wife,
was found unresponsive at the bottom of a staircase in her New York City apartment.
She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to CNN. Ivana was the mother of three of the
former president's five children: Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. She was 73 years old.
Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social,
"I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana
Trump has passed away at her home in New York City. She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing
woman, who led a great and inspirational life. Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr.,
Ivanka, and Eric. She was so proud of them, as we were all so proud of her. Rest In Peace, Ivana!"
Ivana was born in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia, now known as Zlín, Czech Republic. She had a
career as a skier and was even an alternate on the Czechoslovakian ski team at the 1972
Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. Eventually, she came to North America and worked as a ski
instructor in Canada before starting to pursue a modeling career. This led her
to New York City where she met Donald Trump in 1976 and married him the following year.
In the years that followed, Ivana became a fixture in the New York social scene and
was also involved in some of her husband's projects, including Trump Tower in New York
and Atlantic City's Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino where she was integral to the interior design.
She and the future president separated in 1990 due to his alleged affair with his second wife,
Marla Maples. Their divorce was finalized in 1992.
After the divorce, Ivana wrote novels and started a fashion company. She appeared in several
television and film projects, and remarried twice, though both marriages ended in divorce.
"And remember--"
"What?"
"Don't get mad. Get everything!"
As high-profile deaths so often do, Ivana Trump's death got the
social media conspiracy theory mill churning, with some noting that her
death came the day before her former husband and children were to take part
in depositions related to an investigation into the Trump family's business dealings.
After Ivana's death, the depositions for Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, and Donald Trump Jr.,
which had been scheduled to take place on July 15, were postponed, according to ABC News.
The New York attorney general's office said in a statement,
"In light of the passing of Ivana Trump yesterday, we received a request from counsel
for Donald Trump and his children to adjourn all three depositions, which we have agreed to.
This is a temporary delay and the depositions will be rescheduled as soon as possible."
The office also extended its condolences to the family.
Despite the attorney general office's mention that depositions will take place at some unspecified
point in the future, it hasn't stopped some social media users from floating the conspiracy
theory that Ivana Trump's death was an intentional distraction to delay the depositions. One wrote,
"I hate sounding like a conspiracy theorist but this seems kind of
convenient that their mother died the day before they're supposed to give testimony."
The New York attorney general's office is conducting a civil investigation
into the Trump Organization's business dealings.
Specifically, the investigation aims to determine how certain assets were valued
when the organization was applying for loans or looking for tax breaks, according to ABC News.
Attorneys for the Trumps argued that the subpoenas that are part of the investigation were issued for
political reasons. CNBC reported that each of the Trumps was scheduled to be questioned
separately before their July 15 depositions were postponed in the aftermath of Ivana's death.
Eric Trump, who along with Donald Trump Jr., runs the Trump Organization,
has already been questioned under oath in relation to the civil investigation.
In February 2022, a judge ruled that the Trumps were required to comply with the subpoenas
and that state attorney general Letitia James had the right to continue the investigation.
"The judge today ordered the former president and his two eldest children,
Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka, to appear for testimony within 21 days."
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