ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

From rich kid to first daughter: The fabulous life of Ivanka Trump

How President Donald Trump's favorite daughter grew up in the public eye to be a powerful businesswoman, famous face, and one of his closest advisers.

null

Ivanka Trump has lived her life in the public eye.

Born to then real-estate mogul Donald Trump and model Ivana Trump, his first wife, Ivanka Trump is the now president's oldest (and favorite) daughter.

She has been a business executive, runway model, socialite, doting mother, and now key adviser in her father's White House.

Here's how she did it:

ADVERTISEMENT

Ivanka Trump was born in Manhattan on October 30, 1981.

She is the middle child of Donald's first wife, Ivana, who was born in Czechoslovakia.

Her mother and father divorced in 1992 after a very public breakup when he cheated with Marla Maples, who would become his second wife. Ivanka was 11 years old.

Ivanka has said while she loves Marla and her half-sister Tiffany, she could never really forgive her for breaking up her parents' marriage. Tabloid journalists accosted her, shouting "Is it true that Marla said that your father was the best sex she'd ever had?"

Source: GQ

ADVERTISEMENT

She attended the exclusive all-girls Chapin School in Manhattan — of which Jackie Kennedy is an alumna — and then shipped off to boarding school at Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut — where John F. Kennedy went.

Source: Politico

Taking after her mother, Ivanka started modeling as a teen.

She studied at Georgetown and the University of Pennsylvania (her father's alma mater), where she graduated summa cum laude in 2004 with a degree in economics.

Ivanka met Jared Kushner, from a fellow real-estate mogul family who also grew up in the public eye, in 2005. The pair began dating on and off shortly after that.

ADVERTISEMENT

An inch shy of 6 feet, she's walked the runways for Versace. Ivanka told Harper's Bazaar in 2007 that 60-year-old bankers "have nothing on a group of catty 16-year-old female models without parental supervision."

Source:

But her true passion has always been the family business. She tagged along to board meetings and negotiations her whole life, but started officially working for her father in 2005 after graduating college.

Source: Trump Organization

Ivanka appeared on her father's hit show, "The Apprentice," joining the cast as a boardroom judge from its sixth season to its final episode with the Trumps at the helm in 2015.

ADVERTISEMENT

Source: IMDB

Ivanka inherited her father's dealmaking skills. She was the lead negotiator on the Trump National Doral Miami, a $1 billion property that she scooped up for $150 million.

Source: Business Insider

In 2009, she published, "The Trump Card," an inspirational how-to get ahead in business book based on her experiences. It was a New York Times bestseller. Her second book, "Women Who Work," is coming out May 2, 2017.

Sources: Amazon, Amazon

ADVERTISEMENT

Ivanka married Kushner on October 25, 2009. She converted to Orthodox Judaism for him, and the couple keep kosher and observe the Sabbath, shutting off their electronics to spend time with family.

Source: The New Yorker

In addition to helping run the Trump Organization, Ivanka launched a jewelry collection in 2007, and created her own fashion and lifestyle brand, The Ivanka Trump Collection, shortly thereafter.

Sources: Harper's Bazaar, Ivanka Trump, New York Times

Ivanka is an early riser, usually beginning work by 6:30 a.m. People describe her as friendly, polished, eloquent, capable, and even a bit intimidating. She admits she has "a big ego," like her father.

ADVERTISEMENT

Sources: Harper's Bazaar, GQ, The New Yorker

An avid Manhattan socialite, she's lent her name recognition to various charitable causes, including the New York City Police Foundation and Cookies for Kids' Cancer, shown here.

Her and her brothers Eric and Donald Jr. — all Trump's kids from his first wife — held the title of executive vice presidents of development and acquisition at the Trump Organization, with offices side-by-side-by-side in Trump Tower.

Source: Trump Organization

She has always been extremely close with her father. When Ivanka was little, he used to brag to high-powered executives about how smart she was. And he never ignores her phone calls.

ADVERTISEMENT

Sources: Harper's Bazaar, GQ

Receiving numerous accolades for her business acumen over the years, the World Economic Forum named Ivanka a Young Global Leader, and she was 33rd on Fortune magazine's '40 Under 40' list in 2014.

Source: Ivanka Trump

On March 27, 2016, Ivanka and Jared welcomed baby Theo, their third child after Arabella and Joseph. "The most important job any woman can have is being a mother, and it shouldn't mean taking a pay cut," she controversially proclaimed in a political ad for her father.

Sources: Ivanka Trump, YouTube, Washington Post, Refinery 29

ADVERTISEMENT

After her father clinched the party's presidential nomination, Ivanka delivered a keynote address at the Republican National Convention, highlighting her father's record of supporting women and minorities within his company.

Source: Business Insider

She was her father's constant foil on the campaign trail. After a lewd 2005 tape of Trump making crude sexual remarks about women, Ivanka said his comments were "clearly inappropriate and offensive," and that she was glad he apologized for them.

Sources: Business Insider, Fast Company

Her support for her father has never wavered. "Thank you, America, for the trust that you placed in my father," Ivanka said on election night after he won. "He will never let you down!"

ADVERTISEMENT

Source: Ivanka Trump

And she is clearly her father's favorite child. "Daddy’s little girl!" he's called her.

Sources: The New Yorker, Bravo, ABC News

After the election, Ivanka and Jared moved to DC, and both relinquished control of their many business ventures. She stepped down from her fashion line and the Trump Organization, leaving the company in her brothers' hands.

Source: Business Insider

ADVERTISEMENT

But her father's many critics have jeopardized Ivanka's brands. Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Gilt, and Burlington all dropped her fashion line following customer protests and weak sales.

Source: Business Insider

One of her father's closest confidantes, Ivanka has sat in on many of his meetings with business and world leaders — just like she did as a kid.

Ivanka's trusted voice is likely to shape her father's presidency in the years to come. She's lived her whole life in the spotlight — why stop now?

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng

Recommended articles

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT