Melania Trump’s first four years in the White House were filled with tension between her and her stepdaughter Ivanka. Insiders say their difficult relationship began in 2005 when Melania married Donald Trump. At the time, Melania was 34, while Ivanka was 23. With such a small age gap between them, a sense of competition may have been inevitable.
Everything changed when Donald Trump won the 2016 election. His shift from a real estate mogul and reality TV star to the president of the United States put his family in the spotlight. Moving from their separate, spacious apartments in New York to the White House brought Melania and Ivanka’s power struggle into focus. Ivanka took on a significant role in her father’s administration, which some sources say caused frustration for Melania. She enjoyed her influence and was involved in key decisions.
At one point, there was even a request to rename the “Office of the First Lady” as the “Office of the First Family,” signaling a push for Ivanka to have more official recognition. According to insiders, this idea made Melania furious. By 2018, their relationship had become so strained that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly had to step in and mediate between the two women and their offices.
Even after Trump left office, the tension between them has not gone away. Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, who both served as senior advisers in the Trump administration, decided to step away from politics. However, sources say Melania still finds Ivanka’s presence frustrating. Their distant relationship was clear during Trump’s recent inauguration ceremony when they stood next to each other but did not interact.
A Trump staffer even described Ivanka as trying to appear in as many important photos as possible, something that could continue to annoy Melania. One source mentioned that Ivanka may still attend major events like state dinners, which could create new friction between them.
After Trump lost the 2020 election, Ivanka and Jared moved to Miami with their children. They purchased a $24 million mansion on Indian Creek Island, known as “Billionaire’s Bunker.” Since then, Ivanka has shared glimpses of her new life on social media, posting photos of vacations, workouts, wakeboarding, and high-profile events with celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Lauren Sanchez.