Ivana Trump funeral LIVE — Rarely seen Barron, 16, spotted at ceremony of Donald’s ex-wife
IVANA Trump has been laid to rest in a funeral service on Wednesday, where her ex-husband Donald's rarely seen son was spotted.
Barron Trump, 16, was in attendance along with Ivana's three children — Don Jr, Ivanka, and Eric. reports they may have spoken during the funeral.
Ivana, 73, died after suffering blunt force trauma to the torso from a tragic fall last Thursday, the New York City Medical Examiner's Office said. The manner of death has been ruled as an accident.
The funeral is taking place at Manhattan's St Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, which is located in the same neighborhood where Ivana lived on the Upper East Side.
The service was scheduled for 1.30pm on Wednesday.
Read our Ivana Trump funeral blog for the latest news and updates…
Who attended the funeral?
Aside from Ivana Trump’s family and friends, many notable figures also attended her celebration of life on Wednesday, including:
- Real estate developer Charles Kushner
- TV host Jeanine Pirro
- Fashion designer Dennis Basso
- TV personality Kimberly Guilfoyle
Ivanka’s speech
Ivanka Trump, the daughter of Ivana and former President Donald Trump, also spoke at her mother’s funeral about how the late businesswoman taught her everything she knows.
“Growing up, my mother didn’t tell me a woman could do anything she wanted to — she showed me. She was a trailblazer by men and women alike.”
She went on to say: “My mother once told me there was nothing she couldn’t do in heels.
“She taught us how to spearfish and then cook what we caught.
“My mom expanded our minds.”
‘Grandma’ was a no-go
In his speech, Eric Trump revealed that Ivana Trump didn’t want to be called grandma.
“Don’t ever call her grandma,” the grieving son warned.
“That just wasn’t her thing.”
The second son added that his children called her “Ivanma.”
Eric’s speech
Eric Trump, the son of Ivana and former President Donald Trump, spoke at his mother’s funeral and called her a “force of nature.”
“She had brains, she had beauty,” Eric said in his speech at the Upper East Side church.
“She was the embodiment of the American dream.”
The mourning son went on to say that Ivana could “beat any man down the slopes, any woman on the runway.”
“She ruled the three of us with an iron fist but also a heart of gold.”
Fans called for Trump’s 2024 run outside church
As he arrived in New York City on Wednesday to attend the burial of his first wife Ivana, former President Donald Trump was greeted by admirers, according to .
Trump’s supporters shouted “2024” and yelled “We love you” to the former president as he was getting ready to leave the Frank Campbell Funeral Home in Manhattan after the procession of the casket.
Trump seemed to greet the audience by raising his hand slightly while standing next to his wife Melania and daughter Ivanka.
Ivana’s death declared an accident
Ivana Trump suffered from blunt impact injuries that resulted in her death.
The socialite was discovered dead in her Upper East Side apartment in Manhattan on Thursday after what seemed to be a catastrophic fall down her lavish spiral staircase.
Ivana died as a result of injuries sustained in the unintentional fall, according to a previous assessment by the medical examiner in New York.
What did Ivana Trump do for a living?
Ivana Trump married former President Donald Trump in 1977.
But she wasn’t just the businessman’s wife; she also held a top position in the Trump Organization as vice president of interior design, CEO and president of Trump’s Castle casino resort, and manager of the Plaza Hotel.
She was also a fashion model and jewelry designer.
Where was Ivana Trump from?
Ivana Trump was born in Czechoslovakia, the daughter of Miloš Zelníček and Marie Zelníčková.
She later lived in Canada in the 1970s before migrating to the United States.
There, she married Donald Trump in 1977.
Trump family requests donations rather than flowers
The Trump family has requested that guests at Ivana Trump’s funeral make a donation to instead of bringing flowers, reports.
It’s a Florida-based nonprofit organization that seeks to minimize dog homelessness.
The rescue that Ivana “was philanthropically involved with many charities throughout her entire life, but always remained steadfast and passionate in her love for animals.”
‘She will be dearly missed’
Eric Trump’s continued, “She taught her children about grit and toughness, compassion, and determination.”
“She will be dearly missed by her mother, her three children, and ten grandchildren.”
Ivana Trump was the mother of Donald Trump’s three oldest children: Eric, Ivanka, and Donald Jr.
Eric Trump led tributes to mom Ivana
Ivana Trump passed away on July 14, and before long, her family had begun speaking out after her death.
Donald’s third child Eric, for instance, wrote a heartbreaking statement on .
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Ivana Trump,” Eric wrote.
“Our mother was an incredible woman — a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and caring mother and friend.”
“Ivana Trump was a survivor. She fled from communism and embraced this country.”
‘I think he would be a great President’
Ivana Trump was supportive of her ex-husband’s political aspirations.
She specifically expressed support for his run for office back in 2016.
“I think he would be a great President,” she said, according to .
Donald Trump remembers ex-wife Ivana
Cindy Adams, gossip columnist and a friend of both Donald and Ivana Trump, spoke with the former President about his ex-wife.
“She was outstanding. Beautiful inside and out. We began all of it, our lives together, with such a great relationship,” he said.
“She was different,” he added.
“She never gave up. Beautiful, yes, but she was also a hard worker.”
“No matter how rough things were or how badly they looked she never fell down. She went from communism to our lives together. She took nothing for granted.”
‘I can only shake my head at how insane it was’
In the book, Ivana Trump wrote about her marriage to former President Trump in a positive light, but also wrote about what it was like to go through the former Apprentice host’s affair with Marla Maples.
She wrote that it caused her and the couple’s three children, Donald Jr, Ivanka, and Eric, heartache and that Donald Jr didn’t speak to his father for a year afterward, the noted.
“I can only shake my head at how it insane it was,” Ivana wrote.
“I couldn’t turn on the television without hearing my name.”
Ivana wrote about marriage to Donald Trump
Ivana Trump once wrote a book that explored her marriage to former President Donald Trump.
Ivana, who was married to the politician from 1977 to 1992, wrote in her book Raising Trump that she knew her marriage was over soon after a day in December 1989 when Marla Maples, his second wife, approached her, according to the
“This young blonde woman approached me out of the blue and said ‘I’m Marla and I love your husband. Do you?'” Ivana wrote.
“I said ‘Get lost. I love my husband.’ It was unladylike but I was in shock.”
Former President Trump ‘very upset’
Former President Donald Trump, who got his nickname the Don from Ivana, is reportedly “very upset” after her death.
“Donald talked to her regularly and sent flowers on every birthday and other occasions,” a source told the .
The source continued to say that if he does show at the funeral today, it will be without wife Melania, who had a tense relationship with Ivana.
Who is Donald Trump Jr?
Donald Trump Jr. is the oldest child born to the president of the United States and his Czech-born first wife Ivana.
Growing up, the native Czech speaker had a close relationship with his maternal grandfather.
He is The Trump Organization’s executive vice president.
At 13, while working as a dock assistant at Trump Castle for minimum money plus tips, he was first exposed to the family company.
After receiving his degree in 2001, he went back to work for the family firm and earned experience by working on the construction of Trump Place in New York’s West Side Yards.
Ivana Trump’s marriage history: Rossano Rubicondi
Rossano Rubicondi was born in Rome, Italy, on March 14, 1972.
Rossano relocated to London at the age of 22 in order to pursue an acting career.
He made his screen debut in The Eighteenth Angel in 1997 and featured in The Golden Bowl a few years later, in 2000.
Rossano and Ivana Trump started dating at about the same time. Before getting married in 2008, the two were in a six-year relationship.
The next year, the couple filed for divorce, with Ivana blaming their on-again, off-again marriage.
However, they continued to get along and go to events together.
Even as guest contestants on Italy’s version of Dancing With The Stars in 2018, Ivana and Rossano danced together.
Ivana Trump’s marriage history: Riccardo Mazzucchelli
Italian businessman Riccardo Mazzucchelli was born on June 22, 1943.
In November 1995, he wed Ivana; they divorced two years later.
Ivana sued Riccardo for $15 million after their divorce, claiming he had broken the prenuptial agreement’s secrecy.
He countersued Ivana for libel, and the dispute was ultimately resolved in court.
Ivana Trump’s marriage history: Donald Trump
Ivana met Donald Trump in the late 1970s while residing in New York City with a group of models.
On April 7, 1977, the couple exchanged vows at the Marble Collegiate Church.
Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, and Donald Trump Jr. were all born to the former spouse.
They split up in 1992.
Former President Trump shared a on Truth Social after learning of Ivana’s passing.
Melania Trump’s relationship with Ivana, continued
A spokesperson for Melania blasted Ivana after the interview saying the former first lady “plans to use her title and role to help children, not sell books.
“There is clearly no substance to this statement from an ex. Unfortunately only attention-seeking and self-serving noise.”
While Melania said she was “honored” by her role as First Lady, Ivana retorted: “I would hate Washington.”
“I think for her to be in Washington must be terrible,” Ivana said.
“It’s better her than me.”
Melania Trump’s relationship with Ivana
When she said that she never called the White House because “Melania is there,” Ivana caused controversy in the past.
“And I don’t want to cause any kind of jealousy or something like that, because I’m basically first Trump wife. OK? I’m first lady,” she told . in 2017.
Ivana made the comments while she was on a press tour to promote her memoir, Raising Trump.
‘Something was wrong’ in the year before Ivana’s death
James Edstrom, a friend of Ivana Trump, noticed that “something was wrong” in the year before her death.
The photographer, who last saw Ivana about a year ago in New York, told The Sun: “I told her I wanted to do a fashion book and I wanted to use a photo that I took years ago.
“When her and Donald were divorcing, she threw a party at the Plaza Hotel and she arrived in an old green antique restored checkered cab.
“I said to her, ‘Ivana, you know, I was thinking of doing a fashion book about the eighties. I was thinking of you using that photo for the cover.’
“She looked at me, she said, ‘Wow, that would really, really be great.’ But there was something wrong, you know, she didn’t have that spark.
“There was not that zest for life that she always had. It was like it was gone. I worried she might have early on-set Alzheimer’s or something.”
Trump family statement on Ivana Trump’s death
The Trump family statement shared a statement on the passing of Ivana Trump with , which began: “Ivana Trump was a survivor.”
“She fled from communism and embraced this country. She taught her children about grit and toughness, compassion & determination.”
“She will be dearly missed by her mother, her three children & 10 grandchildren.”
Who attended the funeral?
Aside from Ivana Trump's family and friends, many notable figures also attended her celebration of life on Wednesday, including:
- Real estate developer Charles Kushner
- TV host Jeanine Pirro
- Fashion designer Dennis Basso
- TV personality Kimberly Guilfoyle