Ivana Trump’s eldest son praised his mother for raising her children with ‘incredible values’ and challenging them to push themselves.
Donald Trump Jr. paid tribute to his late mother on Instagram Friday night, saying: ‘I am who I am today because of you.’
His fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle, declared Ivana the ’embodiment of the American Dream,’ applauding her for her professional successes and being a ‘devoted and loving mother’ to her three children – Donald Jr., Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump.
Throughout her life Ivana, the first wife of President Donald Trump, relished in her role as a loving mother and proudly described how she raised her children without their father’s help.
Ivana, 73, was found ‘unconscious and unresponsive’ at the bottom of the staircase in her New York City townhouse on Thursday afternoon. She died from blunt impact injuries sustained during her fall and her death has been ruled an accident.
Ivana Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., praised his mother for raising her children with ‘incredible values’ and challenging them to push themselves. Donald Jr.’s tribute included a 2011 photo of him (left) with his mother and siblings – Ivanka and Eric
In a heartfelt Instagram post (pictured) featuring a collection of photos of his mother, Donald Jr. paid tribute to his late mother saying: ‘I am who I am today because of you.’
Donald Jr. shared a photo of Ivana holding a young child, likely one of her 10 grandchildren
He attributed his successes to the way Ivana raised him and his younger siblings
Donald Jr., the eldest Trump child, said their family will miss Ivana ‘incredibly’ after her unexpected passing.
In a heartfelt Instagram post featuring photos of his mother, the businessman attributed his successes to the way Ivana raised him and his younger siblings.
‘Thanks for always pushing us hard, not letting us get away with anything, and instilling so many incredible values and personality traits,’ he lovingly penned.
‘From your sense of humor to your sense of adventure, I am who I am today because of you. I love you very much. R.I.P.’
Guilfoyle also honored her boyfriend’s mother Friday night.
‘Ivana Trump was a successful businesswoman, a remarkable athlete, & most notably, a devoted & loving mother to @DonaldJTrumpJr, @IvankaTrump, & @EricTrump,’ she wrote.
‘She was the embodiment of the American Dream. It was an honor to know her & to love her. We will all miss her so much.’
Guilfoyle and Donald Jr. have been dating since 2018 and got engaged on New Year’s Eve 2020. DailyMail.com broke the news of their engagement in January after insiders confirmed the couple had kept it under wraps for over a year.
The pair had been friends for over 15 years and the Trump family is reportedly a ‘big fan’ of Guilfoyle. She was also named the National Finance Chair of the Trump Victory Finance Committee in 2020.
Donald Jr.’s post included a photo from his childhood at an apparent birthday party. In his tribute he applauded his mother’s ‘humor and sense of adventure’
Donald Jr. posted a photo of Ivana with her grandchildren. He said Ivana ‘instillied so many incredible values and personality traits’ in their family
‘Thanks for always pushing us hard, not letting us get away with anything,’ his post read
His girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, also made a post (pictured) honoring Ivana and declared her the ’embodiment of the American Dream’
Guilfoyle also applauded Ivana for her professional successes and being a ‘devoted and loving mother’ to her three children
Guilfoyle and Donald Jr. have been dating since 2018 and got engaged on New Year’s Eve 2020. The couple is pictured together on NYE 2021
A heartbroken Ivanka posted a moving tribute to her ‘brilliant, charming, passionate and wickedly funny’ mother Ivana on Thursday.
The 40-year-old said Ivana ‘modeled strength, tenacity and determination in her every action’ and had ‘lived life to the fullest’.
She also shared stunning pictures of the pair and the rest of their family from when they were growing up, including of her when she was young kissing her mom on a golden bed.
Son Eric also shared a heartwarming tribute with Dailymail.com – penned by himself, Ivanka and Don Jr – which remembered Ivana as an ‘incredible woman’ who was ‘a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and caring mother and friend’.
The joint statement recalled the businesswoman’s tough upbringing behind the Iron Curtain and incredible journey to the US, having fled communism in Czechoslovakia before moving to Canada and then New York City.
They said she ‘taught her children about grit and toughness, compassion and determination’ and said she will be ‘dearly missed’.
A heartbroken Ivanka Trump paid moving tribute to her ‘brilliant, charming, passionate and wickedly funny’ mother on Thursday
The 40-year-old said Ivana – her father Donald’s ex-wife – ‘modeled strength, tenacity and determination in her every action’ and added that she had ‘lived life to the fullest’
She also shared stunning pictures of the pair and the rest of their family from when they were growing up, including of her when she was young
One of the photographs Ivanka shared was of the pair skiing with a hot air balloon in the background. It’s not clear where the photo was taken
Ivanka shared a lengthy tribute to her mother, including a series of pictures of Ivana from when she was younger and still married to Donald
Ivanka wrote on Instagram: ‘Heartbroken by the passing of my mother. Mom was brilliant, charming, passionate and wickedly funny. She modeled strength, tenacity and determination in her every action’
Ivanka added: ‘She lived life to the fullest — never forgoing an opportunity to laugh and dance. I will miss her forever and will keep her memory alive in our hearts always’
Another of the photographs shared of their late mother showed her skiing in the snowy mountains wearing a flamboyant jacket
Ivanka Trump paid tribute to her late mother on Thursday
Eric also said on the social media site: ‘It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Ivana Trump.
‘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.
‘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.’
News of Ivana’s death was first shared by her ex-husband, former President Trump, via a post on his Truth Social account on Thursday afternoon.
He wrote: ‘I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her home in New York City.
‘She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life. Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. She was so proud of them, as we were all so proud of her.’
Eric shared a stunning photograph of him and his mother dancing at what appeared to be a wedding when the both were younger
Son Eric also penned a heartwarming tribute, remembering an ‘incredible woman’ who was ‘a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and caring mother and friend’
The 38-year-old mentioned the businesswoman’s tough upbringing and incredible journey to the US, having fled communism in Czechoslovakia before moving to Canada and then New York City’
Eric also said on the social media site: ‘It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Ivana Trump’
Eric Trump issued a heartfelt tribute to Ivana Trump on Thursday
Ivana relished her role as a loving mother and in her memoir, Raising Trump, proudly described how she reared them without their father’s help.
After Donald took presidential office and even for years privately beforehand, it was Ivana who took credit for the three kids, their success and their mild manners.
She fought ferociously for them during her divorce from their father, and wrote in her memoir that it was she who raised them – not their dad who ‘provided’ for them but had no interest until they ‘could talk business with him’.
‘I got total custody of the kids when I divorced Donald. That was non-negotiable. But even if Donald and I had stayed together, I would have raised the kids,’ she penned.
‘Donald was the kind of father who was at the office at 6 in the morning.
‘I would take the kids to his office after the breakfast and they would play on the floor with the Legos while Donald was on the telephone.
‘He provided for them and he loved them. But he does not know how to make small talk and he certainly was not going to say, “Oh, choo, choo, choo, choo. How cute we are today. Let’s go to the park in the stroller.” No.’
In his statement, former President Donald Trump, 76, paid tribute to Ivana as a ‘wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life’
Ivana and Donald Trump are toasting with champagne from a NYC rooftop
Ivana, Donald, Eric and Ivanka, are pictured at Mar-a-Lago in 1998
Ivana Trump poses with her children, Donald Trump Jr. (L), Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump (R) after lunch at Frederick’s Madison November 16, 2006 in New York City
‘That was not his kind of thing. He only started talking to them when they were in university and they could talk business,’ she told The New York Post in 2018.
She was ‘devastated’ by Trump’s lawyers’ claims during divorce negotiations that she was a bad mother.
She also recalled one near stalemate where Trump announced: ‘I’m keeping Don Jr.’
She shot back: ‘Keep him. I have two others to raise,’ and told fondly how Don Jr., then a boy, was back in her arms within hours.
‘I knew Donald would not know what to do with him. It was hurtful, but I could not be intimidated.’
She maintained that the key to keeping the kids grounded was ‘discipline’.
‘I got them up at 7 and to school by 8. After school, Ivanka had piano lessons and ballet lessons and ice-skating lessons.
‘Donald Jr. and Eric had karate or golf or whatever it was.
‘Then they did their homework. By 7:30 they would be in a coma and in bed asleep. If you keep them busy, they have no time to get into trouble.’