Tiffany Trump's complicated relationship with her father and brothers
Tiffany Trump's relationship with the presidential family hasn't always been the best. She grew up separately from her father and her siblings, and their closeness has been publicly tested for the past four years.
At the start of Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016, Tiffany Trump was often labeled 'the other Trump' because, unlike her sister Ivanka and her brothers Donald Jr. and Eric, she wasn't as involved in family business.
These days, she's taken a more active role within the family, but some supporters believe there are still rough patches between her and the rest of her family.
THE CONTEXT OF TIFFANY
Tiffany Trump is the only daughter of president and actress Marla Aceri, with whom she began an extramarital affair while still married to his first wife, Ivana.
For example, on election day, while speaking to Fox & Friends, Trump said he was proud of Tiffany 'to a lesser extent'.
After divorcing Ivana in 1991, Trump and Maples became an official couple. They welcomed Tiffany's in October 1993 and got married two months later.
In an interview with Howard Stern in 2004, Donald Trump seemed to imply that Tiffany was an accident, recalling his selfless reaction to the news of Maples' pregnancy.
'I'm glad it happened. I have a little daughter, Tiffany, ”Trump said during an interview with the eccentric radio host. 'But, you know, at the time it was like,' Excuse me, what happened? ''
He went on to say that he asked Maples what they would do 'about it', and when she said they were the best days of their life, Trump simply replied, 'Oh, great.'
Trump and Maples split in 1997 after reports of Maples' alleged infidelity surfaced, although both sides have denied those rumors.
They eventually divorced in 1999 and Maples is bound by a confidentiality agreement and cannot talk about the marriage with the tycoon.
A FRAGILE BOND
Tiffany was 6 when her parents separated, and Maples raised her in California while her billionaire father moved on with her busy life in New York City.
'Her her father is a good provider of education and the like, but as far as time goes, it was just me,' Maples recalled raising her daughter as she talks to people, and she continues:
'Her father wasn't able to be there with the daily skills as a parent. He loves his children. There is no doubt. But it was all a bit of a negotiation. '
According to Maples, Tiffany would see her father during the summer in Mar-a-Lago, and on rare occasions when she was visiting to see her get a school award.
Ivanka, Donald Jr, and Eric, on the other hand, had more access to their father because they lived in the same town as him.
However, according to Tiffany, the fact that her relationship with Trump developed mostly over the phone doesn't mean their bond is any less real.
'I think, regardless of distance, I don't think it imposes any relationship tension,' she the now 26-year-old she told people in 2016.
IVANKA VS. TIFFANY
While Ivanka took on a more hands-on role in her father's 2016 campaign, Tiffany was rarely seen during interviews, always photographed beside her if she was present, and rather silent about her father's candidacy.
At the time, many people assumed that Tiffany's lack of participation was an indication of her status as a stranger to her family, a stark contrast to her role as her older sister in her family.
The narrative of a rivalry between Tiffany and Ivanka has been widely discussed in the media. Ivanka is often referred to as 'the favorite,' whereas Tiffany was once known as 'the forgotten Trump'.
But according to Ivanka, it couldn't be further from the truth, as she said about her People who loves her little sister and has always been close to her.
BIG SIS TO THE RESCUE
The 38-year-old has been Tiffany's mentor, who watches over her for advice on everything from boys, to fashion, to how to manage the aesthetics of her social media pages.
In her first book, 'The Trump Card: Playing to Win at Work and in Life', Ivanka recalled a situation that speaks volumes about her relationship with Tiffany and Tiffany's relationship with their dad.
According to Ivanka, he once acted as an intermediary between his he father and Tiffany when he later needed some financial help during his teenage years.
'I guess Tiffany couldn't enjoy the same surprises, just by virtue of the lack of closeness,' Ivanka wrote, according to Vanity Fair. She said Tiffany just wanted to enjoy the same privileges as her friends, adding:
'She would have liked her if she had lived under our father's roof.'
Ivanka managed to stay on her father's side and her sister's side when she advised Trump to surprise Tiffany with a credit card for Christmas.
She thought it was a great idea and Tiffany was more than thrilled with the development. However, Ivanka said in her book that Tiffany didn't know at the time that the card wasn't her father's initiative.
TRUMP'S MISSTEPS
While Ivanka and the rest of the family worked hard to paint the perfect family picture, the president made a few mistakes along the way that shed light on the cracks in the painting.
For example, on election day, while speaking to 'Fox & Friends', Trump said he was proud of Tiffany 'to a lesser extent' than her other children.
'I am very proud of my children. I mean, I'm just looking at them right now, as an example for your show. I am very proud of Don, Eric and Ivanka 'he said. And he continues:
'And - you know, to a lesser extent because she just got out of school, she finished college - but, Tiffany, she was also so great.'
Last October, even the president was criticized not wanting Tiffany happy birthday. even though she was super active on Twitter, and she did congratulate the United States Navy for her 244th birthday.
In addition to that, Tiffany's half-brother Eric put her on the spot in May last year when, while talking about the family's cause of keeping their financial records private, he joked that she was drinking all day.
He teased how Congress wanted to get a hold of not just her father's papers but her entire family, saying:
'It's:' Eric, I want to see all your bank documents. I want to know how many beers Tiffany had on Friday afternoon in Georgetown. '
In August, Tiffany and Trump made headlines after the president's personal assistant Madeleine Westerhout was fired after overstepping her boundaries by speaking to the press about her first family.
According to reports, among the various comments he made off the record, Westerhout mentioned how Trump believed Tiffany was overweight, and because of that he didn't like taking pictures with her.
Westerhout also claimed she had a better relationship with the president than her daughters. Trump denied everything, of course.
But while other parents would have been crazy about such disrespectful things being said about their children, the president said he understood Westerhout after she called to apologize and he forgave her.
Although Tiffany didn't address the situation directly, she took her Instagram stories two days after Westerhout left her position to share the following message:
Tiffany's supporters took the motivational words as a not-so-enigmatic message her first daughter sent to share her feelings on the matter.
BACK AND FORTH
While Tiffany appears to have made a lot of progress in her interpersonal relationships with her father and her siblings, there have been some setbacks since Trump became president.
According to People, Tiffany - who is now in her senior year at Georgetown Law School - lost contact with her father after the inauguration, spending months without speaking.
They've always had a strained relationship all their lives, and it's been exacerbated by the presidency, 'she said People's Source in 2018.' It's much worse now. '
However, last year Tiffany seemed more involved with the family, constantly posting with all family members on Instagram photos and even introducing her new boyfriend Michael Boulos to her father.
She has also been more active in attending official events at the White House, but she seems to be focusing on successfully finishing her senior year at law school.
