Raising Trump
Page 23
1. Surround yourself with loyal people. If you can’t trust those closest to you, you might as well be alone.
2. Make a name for yourself. With Trump as a last name, they carry the burden of other people’s assumptions. That said, they can differentiate themselves with their first names. I’m known as Ivana. My businesses are named Ivana. Eric has put his name on his charitable foundation, and he’s become known for that. Ivanka put her name on her brands. It’s a winning strategy.
3. Set goals. I’m sixty-eight, and at a stage in my life where I’m happy to enjoy the fruits of my labors. I can relax now because I have been a goal setter all along, and I’ve achieved every one I set my sights on, or got as close as I possibly could. I hope the kids continue to set goals and work to achieve them in whatever they do in life.
4. Ignore the noise. Why pay so much attention or cry a single tear over the opinions of people who don’t even know you? There’s simply no point.
5. No regrets. I have only one: In the eighties, Andy Warhol wanted to paint my portrait. Donald said no, so we didn’t do it. It’d be worth a ton by now! Other than not doing that, I regret nothing. I keep my eyes on the future, never look back, and can’t wait to see what happens next.
—Ivana Trump, New York City, June 1, 2017
Babi and me in Zlín, 1949.
A rare dress-up day in Zlín, circa 1958.
Carving up the Alps for the Czech national juniors team, circa 1967.
Modeling in Prague during college in high style, circa 1968.
At Concha Marina in Palm Beach, circa 1995.
Publicity photo for the release of my first novel, For Love Alone, in 1992.
Skiing in Aspen in the nineties. No puffy coats or knit hats for me, ever!
Making friends with the pigeons in Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy, circa 2005.
Just engaged in Aspen, 1976.
The weekend I met Donald for the first time in New York, 1976.
Don Jr. and baby Ivanka, 1982.
Eric flashing his baby blues in 1985.
Don Jr., Donald, me, and Fred Trump at Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, NY, 1978.
Wedding day, 1977, in Manhattan. From left to right: Fred Trump, Mary Trump, Donald, me, my father, and my aunt.
Eric’s sixth birthday party at the Plaza Hotel, New York City, 1990. Within a month, Donald and I split.
Mother-daughter photo shoot, circa 1991.
Our Aspen camping trip in 1989. My horse was named Pepsi; Ivanka’s was named Cola. Despite being attacked by bees, bears, and storms, the kids loved it.
Trudy the nanny with Don Jr., 1978.
Ivanka took two years of piano lessons, reluctantly, circa 1988.
Don Jr. and Ivanka in his room at Trump Tower, 1992.
From left to right: Don Jr., Babi, Ivanka, Chappy, me, and Eric, 1992.
An eighties headband moment with Don Jr., circa 1986.
Another Plaza birthday party. Ivanka loved those velvet dresses and the boys looked adorable in their little suits, circa 1987.
Ivanka in her angel costume backstage at the New York City Ballet’s Lincoln Center production of The Nutcracker, 1990.
On Riccardo’s yacht, cruising the Mediterranean, circa 1993.
Christmas in Aspen, here with my father and Don Jr., circa 1987.
Ivanka and Dedo at the pool in Greenwich, circa 1986.
With Roffredo and the Ferrari he gave me in New York, 1999.
Ivanka with Bridget Carroll, circa 1991.
Don Jr. at Atlantis in the Bahamas, circa 2007.
The brothers. A summer moment somewhere off the coast of France, circa 1995.
With my Madame Tussauds wax likeness in New York, 2000.
Teenage Ivanka in her room on East Sixty-Fourth Street, circa 1994, on the phone as always!
It must have been a nautical theme night, with my parents in the late eighties in Palm Beach.
Eel for dinner, again? Don Jr. doesn’t look too happy about it. Summer in Greece, 1993.
Eric was taller than me by the time he was twelve. Summer on the boat, circa 1996.
An early modeling shoot for Ivanka, 1997.
Don Jr.’s mullet moment in Aspen. You can see the rest of us in his sunglasses, circa 1995.
Thanksgiving in Greenwich, with a gigantic turkey and helpful Ivanka. I’d start cooking at five a.m. to feed a small army of Trumps, 1988.
At Eric and Lara’s wedding with the entire family at Mar-a-Lago, 2014.
In front of my Manhattan town house, circa 2008. On the left, Dorothy Curry, the kids’ former nanny and my right-hand woman.
Tiger (and my legs) in Miami, 2015.
Wedding day, 1995, in Manhattan. Left to right: Babi, Riccardo, me, and Ivanka, wearing the gold mermaid dress we traded back and forth for years to come.
With Rossano, circa 2007.
M.Y. Ivana, cruising the French Riviera, circa 2005.
Decisions, decisions. (I chose the handsome Italian on my left.) With Henrik and Roffredo on my yacht, 1998.
Graduation day for Ivanka from Wharton, 2004.
With my first grandchild, Kai, and her daddy in 2007. Eight more would arrive over the next ten years.
With two of my other babies, Chappy 2 and Dodo, circa 2001.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Telling your life story takes a lot of work and requires a lot of help. I’d like to thank all the people who were instrumental in the creation of Raising Trump.
First, I want to thank my children, Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric, for contributing their stories throughout these pages. My book about your childhoods is all the more special to me because we did it together.
To Vanessa, Jared, and Lara and all of my fabulous grandchildren for making my children’s lives full and happy, and for bringing so much joy into my life, too.
Donald, my ex-husband, has been a friend for so many years. Thanks for supporting me in everything I’ve done and for a lot of happy memories and good times.
My mother, Marie, aka Babi, remembers everything, and she reminded me of a few stories I’d forgotten. Thanks for all you’ve done for me, including your help with this book.
Dorothy Curry, my personal assistant, spent weeks going through thousands of photographs, as well as researching dates, mining her memories, and supporting me throughout the writing of the book. I’m grateful, as always, for all you do.
Thanks to my friends, especially Nikki Haskell, who has been my friend for years and has photographed me and my family forever; my dear friend Vivian Serota, who has been a great support to me for a long time; and my dear friend Massimo Gargia, for his friendship over forty years. Two of my best friends are my ex-husbands Riccardo Mazzucchelli and Rossano Rubicondi. Thank you both for being in my life and for all the fun we’ve had.
Eva, my assistant in Europe, makes my life possible. Thanks!
Daniel Strone, my agent, has been my champion at every step of the publishing process. Thank you for your guidance and belief in the project. Also, my thanks to Katie in Dan’s office for her invaluable support.
The team at Gallery Books has been amazing from our earliest conversations—and later our three-hour lunches. My thanks to all of you, for Jennifer Bergstrom’s grand vision, Nina Cordes’s keen eye for details, Carolyn Reidy’s commitment, Jennifer Robinson’s great instincts, and Elisa Rivlin’s excellent judgment.
Gary Lyman, my lawyer, has been in my life forever, and he contributed to this book as an early reader and sounding board. Thanks again for your humor, intelligence, and wise advice.
To Tiger, my beloved constant companion of eleven years, who died suddenly, devastatingly during the writing of this book. And to Tiger 2, my new doggie friend, who is just finding his feet in our family and already winning hearts.
Finally, Valerie Frankel has been a pleasure to work with from day one. The strength and ease of our collaboration is evident on every page. Thanks, Val, for accommodating my crazy schedule and making hard work so much fun.
/> ABOUT THE AUTHOR
IVANA TRUMP is a Czech-born American businesswoman, author, fashion designer, socialite, and former fashion model. She is the former Vice President of Interior Design for the Trump Organization, where she supervised construction and design of Trump Tower, Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, and the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Under her leadership, the Plaza Hotel was recognized as the “Best Luxury Hotel in the United States.” She continues to produce products, fragrances, and accessories under Ivana Haute Couture. Her pride and joy are her three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR:
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Ivana-Trump
MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
SimonandSchuster.com
Facebook.com/GalleryBooks
@GalleryBooks
We hope you enjoyed reading this Simon & Schuster ebook.
* * *
Get a FREE ebook when you join our mailing list. Plus, get updates on new releases, deals, recommended reads, and more from Simon & Schuster. Click below to sign up and see terms and conditions.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
Already a subscriber? Provide your email again so we can register this ebook and send you more of what you like to read. You will continue to receive exclusive offers in your inbox.
Gallery Books
An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
Copyright © 2017 by Ivana Trump
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Gallery Books hardcover edition October 2017
GALLERY BOOKS and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or business@simonandschuster.com.
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.
Interior design by Jaime Putorti
Jacket photograph courtesy of the author
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-1-5011-7728-6
ISBN 978-1-5011-7730-9 (ebook)
Insert 1, page 2, top left photo by Jiri Birch.
All other photos courtesy of Ivana Trump.