Trump Used Ivana Divorce as 'Loud and Deliberate' Publicity Strategy to 'Conquer the Press,' Michael Wolff Claims — As Family Became a 'Marketing Division'
Donald Trump used his highly public divorce from first wife Ivana to ultimately promote himself.
June 18 2026, Published 6:25 p.m. ET
Donald Trump spectacularly spun the fracturing of his first marriage to Ivanka into a personal publicity strategy to celebrate himself, RadarOnline.com can report. And he's never looked back.
The ruthless businessman-turned-president found an opportunity for self-promotion, even as the couple faced a bitter divorce in the early 90s.
Trump's First Divorce was Business as Usual
The couple went through a bitter divorce battle that lasted until 1992.
Triggered by Trump's highly publicized affair with Marla Maples, the split generated continuous front-page headlines and led to a lengthy legal battle that wasn't finalized until 1992.
But instead of wallowing in despair, journalists Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles explain in the latest episode of their political podcast Inside Trump's Head, he turned the shame into sensationalism.
"He used the divorce as a loud, deliberate promotional strategy designed to conquer the tabloid press," the two discuss. "He wanted it to play out this way on the front of the New York papers because he was running to be the most famous playboy in the city.
"Family was simply reclassified as a marketing division—and another photo opportunity."
They summarized: "Trump’s life has been an ecosystem built around beauty, status, and visibility; the women changed, the settings changed, but the pattern has always remained remarkably consistent."
Fractured Family Matters
Trump is believed to have a fractured relationship with his kids.
Indeed, the pair argue that for all the love heaped on Trump by his MAGA faithful, the president is eerily alone when it comes to those who are supposed to be the closest to him, pointing to Melania's cold shoulder.
At the same time, his prized daughter, Ivanka, has distanced herself from her dad as well, and his remaining children "function more like his elite corporate employees" than his loving family members.
But none of that seems to matter to the president, who seems to seek validation through late-night texting sprees directed to his most ardent of followers on his Truth Social platform.
"His closest companion is a glowing smartphone screen," the pair reports. "There are no real confidants or lifelong friends who possess the authority to offer genuine counsel. It’s the opposite of intimacy in every sense imaginable."
Melania Trump 'Hates His Guts'
Melania Trump has seemed distant at events with her husband.
As for Trump's current wife, Melania, Wolff says there is a simple reason she has been rarely seen during his second term.
"At one point, I asked someone who's very close to them, and I said, 'So what's going on?'" Wolff previously told 60 Minutes Australia. "And this person looked at me like I was a real dunce and then said, 'she hates his f---ing guts'."
Wolff offered numerous reasons why.
"Well, other than the fact he has a long history of relationships with other women, [expletive] stars and the like, and that he's not a very nice guy and he doesn't listen to anyone ever, so I doubt if he would listen to his wife...should I go on?" he explained.
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Living Separate Lives
There are constant questions about the strength of their marriage.
Wolff suggested Melania's once-distant presence has shifted into something far more consequential, pointing to a recent public appearance with King Charles, when Melania briefly pulled her hand away as her husband reached for her during a state dinner photo op – before eventually interlocking fingers.
Sources have long suggested the couple's dynamic operates differently behind the scenes.
"It was no secret that Donald stayed in the White House master suite and Melania occupied a two-room suite on the third floor during their first go-round there," an insider claimed. "They'll now basically go back to something along those very same lines — if not in the very same rooms."
Melania's former advisor Stephanie Winston Wolkoff also alleged, "I do believe it's a transactional marriage. Donald got arm candy... and Melania got two dynamic decades."
