This article contains mention of sexual violence.
Ali Abbasi’sThe Apprenticeexplores the tumultuous relationship between Donald and Ivana Trump, leading to questions about what became of the former president’s first wife. The historical biopic is set during the 1970s and ’80s, primarily focusing on the mentorship between Trump and New York prosecutor Roy Cohn, who helped shape the young businessman into the politician audiences will recognize today. Sebastian Stan leadsThe Apprenticecastas the young Donald Trump,withMaria Bakalova playing Ivana Trump, the Czech-American model who married him in 1977, beginning a rocky relationship that lasted over a decade.
Thefilm adaptation carefully examines the rise of Donald and Ivana’s relationship, but byThe Apprentice’sending, matters have begun to go south. There is significant information tofact-checkThe Apprentice, but the film has still received a controversial response. The former president himself spoke out against the movie on the social media platformTruth, referring toThe Apprenticeas “FAKE and CLASSLESS.” He also mentions his loving relationship with the late Ivana Trump, contradicting a violent sexual assault scene from the movie.
Ivana Trump Divorced Donald Trump After Accusing Him Of Rape
Ivana Trump’s Divorce Deposition Detailed A Violent Sexual Assault Scene
Donald and Ivana Trump’s marriage is a subplot inThe Apprentice, but the film notably establishes critical elements from their highly-publicized divorce in 1990. While the exact nature of this moment was changed for the purpose of the film,Ivana’s divorce depositiondidaccuse the former president of rape(viaDaily News). The Trump Campaign and Trump himself have dismissed the movie’s scene as being entirely baseless and fictional, so there’s some back-and-forth information to break down. First, in 2015, Ivana Trump amended this claim toABC News, saying the following:
“[O]n one occasion during 1989, Mr. Trump and I had marital relations in which he behaved very differently toward me than he had during our marriage. As a woman, I felt violated, as the love and tenderness, which he normally exhibited towards me, was absent. I referred to this as a ‘rape,’ but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense.”
As for what actually happened at the time, there’s no way to be entirely sure. However, even in her amended statement, which attempts to tone down the severity of the act, she importantly still states that there was an occasion where she “felt violated.” Regardless of the precise nature of the situation, there’sevidence to support that the film’s depiction wasn’t completely baseless or fictional. Ivana’s words align with 26 other women who have publicly accused Donald Trump of various forms of sexual harassment since the 1970s (viaThe Guardian).
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The contents of the deposition were revealed in a1993 book titledLost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump, which fully details the “violent assault"in 1989 that led to their divorce. The scene described in the book correlates to what’s depicted inThe Apprentice, with some minor contextual changes in the dialogue leading to the assault. Responding to the scene detailed in the book, Trump representative Michael Cohen once said the following (viaTime):
It’s not the word that you’re trying to make it into. She felt raped emotionally… She was not referring to it [as] a criminal matter, and not in its literal sense, though there’s many literal senses to the word. You cannot rape your spouse. There’s very clear case law.”
The divorce was officially granted in December 1990 on the grounds of “Cruel and inhuman treatment by Mr. Trump” (viaThe New York Times). Ivana then had to sign a non-disclosure agreement and was required to receive Donald Trump’s permission before speaking on the matter to the press. In a 2015 press release (viaABC News),Donald Trump’s team stated that he had an “ironclad prenuptial agreement,“which led to Ivana Trump making false claims in her divorce case. The case resulted in her receiving $14 million, a 45-room mansion, and more, along with $650,000 in annual child support (viaABC News).
Ivana Remarried Twice After Donald Trump
Donald Trump Was Ivana’s Second Of Four Marriages
Donald Trump was actually the second man Ivana married and the only one she had children with. Despite beingmarried twice more in her life to Riccardo Mazzucchelli (1995-1997) and Rossano Rubicondi (2008-2009), she kept the name Trump for the rest of her life. Mazzucchelli was an Italian entrepreneur and businessman whom she engaged in a lawsuit following their divorce (viaDaily News), accusing him of breaching the confidentiality cause of their prenuptial agreement.
1971-1973
1977-1990
1995-1997
Rossano Rubicondi
2008-2009
In 2008, she married Italian actor and model Rossano Rubicondi. Their marriage was hosted by Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago with their daughter Ivanka Trump serving as the maid of honor (viaReuters). Ivana Trump and Rubicondi divorced just a year later, but she maintained an on-and-off relationship with him through 2019. This was her last publicly known romantic relationship.
Ivana Trump’s Business & Writing Careers Explained
Ivana Trump Is A Published Author Of Multiple Non-Fiction Books
An aspect of Ivana Trump’s life that’s touched on inThe Apprenticeis her business career. During her marriage to Donald Trump,she took an active role in The Trump Organization, leading the interior design of projects like Trump Tower. She was also appointed CEO of the Trump Castle Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. Following their divorce, Ivana continued her business ventures in clothing, jewelry, and beauty product lines. She continued to pursue international business and real estate ventures throughout her life.
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Throughout the 1990s, Ivana Trump used her public recognition to write several non-fiction works, includingFor Love Alone(1992),Free to Love(1993), and a self-help book calledThe Best Is Yet to Come: Coping with Divorce and Enjoying Life Again(1995).In 2017, she published the bookRaising Trump, which explored her early years of marriage and raising her children with Donald Trump. Her book, which is described as “non-political,” maintains her claim of friendship with her former husband.
Ivana Trump Died In 2022
Ivana’s Died From A Fall At The Age Of 73
In July 2022,Ivana Trump’s death at the age of 73 was reported, stating blunt impact injuries from falling down stairs in her home as the cause. Emergency responders found her dead at the scene from the force of the fall. Donald Trump, along with his and Ivana’s shared children, all posted their condolences on social media before attending her funeral days later. Ivana’s estate was declared to be worth $34 million, which she left to her three children: Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Fred.
While the events of Ali Abbasi’s film take place decades before Ivana Trump’s death, they paint an important caricature of her life. Many of the details inThe Apprentice, particularly those surrounding her and Donald Trump’s personal life, have been heavily disputed by the former president and his campaign and legal team.Abbasi described his movie as “fact-based and fact-checked”(viaThe Wrap), and with a majority of the aforementioned details, there are significant sources to support the filmmaker’s claims, including Ivana Trump’s own words.
Sources:Daily News,ABC News,The Guardian,The New York Times,ABC News,The Wrap,Reuters,Daily News
The Apprentice
The Apprentice depicts a young Donald Trump in 1970s New York, highlighting his formative relationship with Roy Cohn, a ruthless attorney. As Trump seeks to establish his own legacy, Cohn identifies him as an ideal protégé, drawn to his ambition and determination to succeed at any cost.
