The eldest Trump son, Don Jr., is a father of five, just like his own father. Before
dating Kimberly Guilfoyle, he was married to Vanessa Trump, the mother of his children.
So why the divorce in 2018? Here's the real reason Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump
got divorced.
Between full-time jobs, commitments, and kids, couples have a lot on their plate. But Don
Jr. and Vanessa ditched teamwork and were reportedly living completely separate lives
before their divorce, according to sources who spoke to Page Six. The unnamed sources
revealed that the couple was experiencing a long stretch of marital problems before
their relationship dissolved, and that their close friends knew that divorce was imminent.
One of the former couple's main sources of marital stress? Don Jr.'s busy schedule.
One of the sources said:
"Don Jr. has been busy traveling, which has contributed to their problems [...] Vanessa
is a devoted mother, but she is increasingly lonely and alone in the house with the children."
If the Trump name has been synonymous with one thing, it's wealth. Donald Trump made
a name for himself as a real estate tycoon and placed his three eldest children in positions
of power and influence over his political and business interests. But he's been known
to keep his daughter, Tiffany Trump, on a short financial leash, and it seems like maybe
Donald Trump Jr. pulled the same approach from his father's playbook.
As noted by Page Six, a number of sources claimed that Vanessa's home life was not filled
with the usual comforts that we associate with the Trumps.
One put it very simply:
"[Don Jr.] treats her like a second-class citizen."
A friend of the couple alleged that Don Jr. gave Vanessa, quote, "very little help" and
kept her on a, quote, "tight budget."
“Who is on diaper duty?” “I have to go out and earn the money to buy the diapers.”
The friend revealed:
"She doesn't live a lavish life and can very rarely pick up a check at dinner."
In addition, another source dished that Vanessa had to turn to her own family for financial
help, as Don Jr. was reportedly, quote, "never generous with money."
Just for your information, Don Jr. is worth $25 million.
You know when you're involved with someone, and your closest friends can all tell you
that they just aren’t it? That there's something about the two of you together that just doesn't
feel right? It appears as though Vanessa Trump got similar warnings, because, as noted by
Page Six, things were allegedly a bit off between her and Donald Trump Jr. before they
even sealed the deal.
A source told Page Six:
"They were having problems before they even got married [...] People were telling her
not to marry him before the wedding."
Of course, things reportedly got more and more difficult for Vanessa and Don Jr. as
Donald Trump's political life took off — for those who need their memories jogged, Don
Jr. was on much of the campaign trail with his father, solidifying his place in conservative
politics. But a spokesperson for the couple denied that anything was toxic between them,
saying:
"Don and Vanessa have tremendous respect for each other and always have."
With any high-profile position comes an increased, heightened concern about safety. No family
is more aware of this than the First Family of the United States, but the anxiety around
protection was something that Vanessa Trump experienced, too, due in part to Donald Trump
Jr.'s public life and controversial career.
Vanessa reportedly feared for her and her children's well-being and hated being in the
spotlight while married to Don Jr.
A source told Page Six:
"Vanessa ... by nature is a very low-key person [...] She is uncomfortable with the attention
her family is getting now [that] the Trumps are on the world stage."
Donald Trump went back and forth on his political affiliation earlier in his life. He was once
a registered Democrat, but he's now responsible for a huge political faction of the Republican
party.
“My father has been working tirelessly to bring back the American dream, who’ve watched
politicians with no business experience send that American dream abroad.”
Donald Trump Jr. was right by his father's side and often championed his father's political
perspectives, but his decision to get into the family's political life could've been
a point of contention between him and Vanessa Trump.
As noted by The New York Times, Vanessa came from a far more liberal family than Don Jr.,
the proof of which could be plainly seen in her mother's social media use. Vanessa's mom,
Bonnie Jay Haydon, has been very supportive of higher taxes, the democratic socialism
of countries like Sweden, and has not kept her opinions about gun control to herself.
If Vanessa was at all influenced by her mom, as Don Jr. was influenced by his dad, things
were destined to get complicated.
“I’m a pretty patriotic kind of guy, and I think it’s embarrassing what’s going
on in this country over the last decade. We’ve had 200 years of hegemony and it’s like
we’re okay just giving it back.”
It's safe to say that the Trumps' world was turned upside down when Donald Trump was elected
president. A lot of people thought it was a long shot, but he upset the electoral favorite,
Hillary Clinton, and won the electoral college votes he needed to put him in office. And
while Donald Trump and his immediate family were navigating the uncharted waters, Vanessa
Trump was weighing her options.
As noted by Page Six, Vanessa reportedly decided to wait until Donald Trump's first term was
up before pursuing her divorce from Donald Trump Jr.
But, as one source put it:
"She just couldn't stand it anymore."
So, she went ahead with the divorce in 2018.
A spokesperson for Vanessa denied the allegation, saying:
"[The] decisions that she and Don have made on their marriage have nothing to do with
politics."
But sources close to the couple countered the denial.
One source said:
"The problems have been there for a long time [...] The couple had hoped to stay together
during the president's time in office, but it is getting harder to resolve their issues.
He's never there."
Threats against the president and his family should always be taken seriously, and things
took a really scary turn for Vanessa Trump during Donald Trump's term in office. As noted
by Vanity Fair, Vanessa opened mail, addressed to Donald Trump Jr., that contained an unmarked
white powder. After she opened the suspicious package, Vanessa was taken to the hospital
to assess if she'd been harmed by the threatening delivery.
"Vanessa Trump, the wife of Donald Trump Jr., has been hospitalized as a precaution.”
As noted by Page Six, the New York Police Department confirmed that the powder was not
harmful, but it certainly seemed to send a message. Quite understandably, Vanessa was
shaken by the incident.
A source told Page Six:
"It was terrifying for Vanessa, who is naturally worried for the safety of her children."
From the looks of things, it appears as though the letter incident was yet another point
of contention between the couple, as Vanessa became increasingly concerned about Don Jr.'s
high profile and what it might mean for her safety and the safety of their kids.
As noted by Page Six, Vanessa was allegedly meeting with divorce lawyers before Donald
Trump's political campaign revved up.
A source told Page Six:
"No one thought he'd win.”
But Donald's rise to political power and Don Jr.'s active role in the campaign and, later,
the presidency, reportedly put Vanessa's plans on hold.
By 2018, things between Vanessa and Don Jr. had deteriorated, and close friends saw them
heading down the path to divorce. But one close source to the couple told Page Six at
the time that the two of them were trying to deal with their problems privately, and
that divorce was not yet on the table.
The source said:
"Don is still living at home, is a good dad and is super involved in his kids' lives [...] He
has always traveled for work, so his current schedule is not something out of the ordinary."
But as we know, things did not last for these two.
Despite the alleged tension between her and her former husband, Vanessa Trump opted for
an uncontested divorce.
So what exactly is this type of divorce? An uncontested divorce means that both sides
agree on all the issues pertaining to their separation.
According to Page Six, the former couple fought over child custody and, quote, "financial
details" since the initial divorce filing was made. But both parties should be commended,
because the hearing that was supposed to take place to settle disputes between Don Jr. and
Vanessa was adjourned, meaning they had come to an agreement outside the court system.
As noted by Vanity Fair, things started off rocky for the couple when Donald Trump gave
his unfiltered opinion about his son's proposal to Vanessa.
Here's what The Donald was griping about. Don Jr. scored a deal with the jeweler Bailey
Banks & Biddle when he popped the question to Vanessa. According to The New York Times,
he got a $100,000 ring for free for proposing in front of cameras at the jeweler's Short
Hills Mall location. The stunt was clearly not what Donald Trump considered classy, because
he went on Larry King's show and critiqued the choice.
As reported by Vanity Fair, he said:
"You have a name that is hot as a pistol, you have to be very careful with things like
this.”
Donald Trump has long been known for his contentious relationship with Twitter — a platform he
is currently banned from using. But social media was reportedly a big trigger point between
Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump, as Don Jr. began writing and sharing posts in the
style of his father.
A friend told Page Six:
"[Vanessa] hates that he posts stuff online, pictures of their kids and how he paints the
picture of him as a perfect father ... It's not the truth.”
Vanessa's spokesperson clapped back, stating that while she is protective of her children,
she is not unhappy with Don Jr.'s social media activity involving them.
The spokesperson said:
"Vanessa is usually the first to 'like' the posts that he shares [...] Don is a wonderful
and very involved father."
But another social media-derived issue for the couple, allegedly, was Don Jr.'s problematic
activity — such as liking a tweet that linked antidepressants to mass shootings and supporting
tweets that attacked school shooting survivors. A source close to the couple told Page Six
that Don Jr. had changed.
The source added:
"Friends [were] concerned about him."
The spotlight can change people — there's no denying that — and from the onset of
his marriage, Donald Trump Jr.'s public life was only growing.
The spotlight started shining on Don Jr. when he started appearing on his father's widely
watched NBC show, The Apprentice, and, as such, began receiving a new level of interest
from the public. Bo Dietl, a guest at Don Jr. and Vanessa Trump's wedding, told The
New York Times that due to his heightened appearance on The Apprentice, women were,
quote, "throwing themselves" at Don Jr, which must've been awkward for Vanessa.
Of course, Don Jr's profile only grew when he emerged on the campaign trail with his
father, a move that not only increased his exposure to the voters, but saw an expansion
of his public influence.
Dietl said about the dynamic between Don Jr. and Vanessa:
"He's never around [...] I definitely had that sense."
People close to Vanessa additionally told The New York Times that Don Jr.'s public career
and connection to the First Family put a remarkable amount of strain on Vanessa. It's not hard
to understand why.
“Reports say that Vanessa Trump was fed up with the hectic lifestyle of being the
President’s daughter in law.”
To animal rights activists, Donald Trump Jr. is known as the son of the former president
who likes big game hunting — a controversial hobby. As noted by Page Six, Don Jr. has traveled
near and far to hunt and has posted photos on his social media of animals — including
leopards and elephants — that he has killed. Add this hobby to the list of problems between
Don Jr. and Vanessa, because she was reportedly not a fan of her then-husband's pastime.
Christine Schott, a model manager and former publicist for Vanessa, told The New York Times:
"I know she wasn't thrilled that he hunted as he did […] I know she wanted to keep
it on the [down low]. She knew that was going to be a big issue, socially."
And if what Schott said is true, then, yes, Vanessa was right to know that Don Jr.'s hunting
would become a big issue. As noted by the BBC, Don Jr. landed in some hot water with
animal activist groups when he shot a rare sheep, but things didn't stop there. The hunt
cost US taxpayers $75,000, which was not a good look for the then-president's son.
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