NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

New book makes astonishing claims about Melania and Ivanka Trump's relationship

By Daniel Bates
Daily Mail·
1 Jun, 2018 04:35 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Ivanka Trump shut down Melania Trump's worries about the inauguration parade down Pennsylvania Avenue because she wanted a "princess moment", a new book claims.

President Donald Trump's daughter stood firm and told an organiser "it's happening" as she overrode her stepmother's concerns about security.

Ivanka supposedly felt that the Trumps were the American equivalent of Britain's Royal Family and her father entering the White House was their "coronation", according to the Daily Mail.

U.S. President Donald Trump waves to supporters as he walks the parade route with first lady Melania Trump after being sworn in at the 58th Presidential Inauguration. Photo / Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump waves to supporters as he walks the parade route with first lady Melania Trump after being sworn in at the 58th Presidential Inauguration. Photo / Getty Images

On the inauguration weekend she demanded to stay in the Lincoln Bedroom in the White House, the upstairs bedroom where Abraham Lincoln used to sleep.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Born Trump, which is out next month, is said to offer an in-depth picture of the Trump family and how the President shaped them in his own image.

In an extract in Vanity Fair, Fox is unsparing and quotes a September 1990 interview with Trump in which he says he wanted five children "because with five, then I will know that one will be guaranteed to turn out like ".

In reality, Trump's attributes ended up being evenly distributed across his children, Fox writes.

Donald Trump Jr. Photo / AP
Donald Trump Jr. Photo / AP

Don Jr, who was known as "Diaper Don" at the University of Pennsylvania for wetting his pants when he was drunk, became his father's "pit bull".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Ivanka, whose named was trademarked at 15, became the "showman addicted to the media game" and Eric would "inherit his father's arcane lust for real-estate marketing".

As Michael Cohen, Trump's former longtime lawyer, told Fox: "They're like mini-super-bots, mini-Voltrons. Collectively, they make the whole."

Fox writes of Trump's inauguration: "The Trumps have somewhat fancied themselves as a modern version of the Kennedys, but the inauguration brought to mind the dynamic of another sort of American first family: the Kardashians."

For his inauguration last January Trump appointed Tom Barrack, a billionaire longtime friend of his, to run the event, but dozens of stars like Elton John declined to take part.

Discover more

Business

Big Read: Trump's trade war strains US-Europe ties

31 May 06:10 AM
Entertainment

Trump's summit with Kim (It's not the North Korean Kim)

31 May 01:58 AM
World

Trump issues pardon but not the one Kim K wanted

31 May 06:36 PM
Entertainment

Comic slammed for calling Ivanka Trump a very vulgar word

31 May 07:45 PM
 President Donald Trump takes the oath of office from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. Photo / Getty Images
President Donald Trump takes the oath of office from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. Photo / Getty Images

Barrack ended up with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Rockettes, although some of the dancers refused to participate because of Trump's policies.

It fell to the Trump family themselves to try and give the event some star power, Fox writes.

The book says: "Ivanka Trump seemed particularly attuned to the stagecraft.

"When Melania Trump opened the White House residence to all of her husband's children for the weekend following the inauguration, the president's elder daughter put in a request to stay in the Lincoln Bedroom. (Permission granted.)

"When Melania wavered over the idea of the customary parade down Pennsylvania Avenue after the swearing-in ceremony, citing security concerns, Ivanka dug in.

"It's happening," she told an organiser. She worked with a stylist and told friends that she wanted a "princess moment".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I told her it's an inauguration, not a coronation," one friend recalled.

Ivanka Trump overrode Melania Trump's concerns about security and decided the family's Inauguration Day parade would go down Pennsylvania Avenue. Photo / Getty Images
Ivanka Trump overrode Melania Trump's concerns about security and decided the family's Inauguration Day parade would go down Pennsylvania Avenue. Photo / Getty Images

"The sentiment was that Americans wanted a royal family."

Ivanka serves as an unpaid assistant to the President; her husband, Jared Kushner, has the title of senior adviser.

And Ivanka had more "princess moments" over the next few days.

On her father's swearing in ceremony on Capitol Hill she wore a white asymmetrical jacket from Oscar de la Renta and for the inaugural balls she wore a US$5,000 champagne-coloured Carolina Herrera dress.

Fox writes that none of Trump's children thought that he would win the Republican primary, let alone the election.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner dance at the Freedom Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Centre. Photo / Getty Images
Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner dance at the Freedom Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Centre. Photo / Getty Images

The week before the election Ivanka was looking for a way to boost her clothing brand so she submitted the manuscript for Women Who Work, her book about how to succeed at business.

However, Fox claims that Ivanka's first draft of her own book, Women Who Work, was so lacking in emotion her publishers told her to make it "seem like she had a pulse".

But executives at Portfolio, her publisher, were aghast and Fox writes that they "solicited her to add personal, engaging details about her relationship with her parents".

One person involved with the book said that they hoped to "make her seem like she had a pulse. Like she was a human".

Vanity Fair has previously claimed that White House aides mockingly refer to Ivanka as "Princess Royal" because of her lack of specific portfolio in the White House.

She is said to have gotten the nickname after the G20 summit last July in Hamburg, Germany where at one point she sat in for her father, prompting a storm of criticism.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Historian Anne Applebaum said that Ivanka was "an unelected, unqualified, unprepared New York socialite" being seen as "the best person to represent American national interests".

Amy Siskind, president and co-founder of women's rights group New Agenda, Tweeted: "This kind of thing happens all the time. In dictatorships".

Born Trump also features the withering comment from Kushner about Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor who Trump wanted to head up his White House transition team.

Christie had jailed Kushner's father Charles when he was Attorney General of New Jersey, and Kushner had never forgiven him.

At a meeting with Trump and other top campaign aides, Kushner said: "It's unfair. Christie took advantage of my family members for his own ambition."

Christie got the job but was later ousted and replaced by Vice President Mike Pence.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

World

Penguin turns up on beach in Rio de Janeiro

02 Jul 10:49 PM
World

Trump tax bill stalled by Republican rebellion in Congress

02 Jul 10:24 PM
World

Pause in US weapons deepen Ukraine's concerns

02 Jul 09:58 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

Penguin turns up on beach in Rio de Janeiro

Penguin turns up on beach in Rio de Janeiro

02 Jul 10:49 PM

Alone and far from home, it might be following fish, a penguin expert says.

Trump tax bill stalled by Republican rebellion in Congress

Trump tax bill stalled by Republican rebellion in Congress

02 Jul 10:24 PM
Pause in US weapons deepen Ukraine's concerns

Pause in US weapons deepen Ukraine's concerns

02 Jul 09:58 PM
Premium
Iran suspends co-operation with UN nuclear watchdog

Iran suspends co-operation with UN nuclear watchdog

02 Jul 09:19 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP