Marla Maples' Life After Trump Divorce Proves She Never Needed Donald

Marla Maples underwent a gorgeous style transformation after divorcing Donald Trump, but her fashion sense wasn't the only thing better off after the model's marriage to the real estate mogul ended. A quick scroll through Maples' Instagram proves just how different she is from the women in Trump's inner circle. She doesn't sport the classic Mar-a-Lago face, and her feed isn't littered with images proclaiming how her ex-husband is making America great again. Maples is her own person, with her own aspirations, and the co-founder of the Global Wellness Forum.

The president's second wife is also a single mother in every sense of the word. Tiffany Trump is Donald's youngest daughter, and those who have been keeping up know that the divisive politician often seems to forget she exists. It should therefore come as no surprise that Maples practically raised Tiffany all on her own. As she once told People, "Her daddy is a good provider with education and such, but as far as time, it was just me. Her father wasn't able to be there with day-to-day skills as a parent." And, as it turns out, the two of them managed just fine.

Divorcing Donald also hasn't made a dent in Maples' social life. In fact, it's thriving. She's continued to attend glitzy events, making a random appearance at the 2025 Grammys and attending the 2025 Luxury Gala. Maples was seen posing on the red carpet at the Grammys with Indian composer Ricky Kej, with whom she's very good friends. Clearly, the former model doesn't need her ex to keep climbing that social ladder.

Arguably, one of the best things to have come from Marla Maples and Donald Trump's divorce is her ability to mostly stay out of his political career — a blessing indeed. "I'm not in the White House. I have friends on both sides. I will just walk in the middle," the former model explained to the New York Times in 2019. "I'll do everything I can to remind people that any type of anger or judgment can truly have such a negative impact on ourselves, and absolutely on our environment." Obviously, Maples' stance differs vastly from her former husband's. Still, she was spotted at his 2024 election victory party regardless, and a cozy picture of Donald with Maples raised questions about his seemingly troubled marriage with current wife Melania Trump.

The former model, for her part, has chosen her words very carefully whenever she's spoken publicly about her ex, but in a 2016 interview with the Daily Beast, Maples got candid about her personal views, confirming, "I have always been more liberal, and I believe in gay and lesbian rights and I believe everyone on this planet has a right to choice. So, I just don't feel it's productive for me to go judging another person's choices." Perhaps she should have a quiet word with Donald, given that he's done the exact opposite. 

In June 2025, his administration announced that the suicide prevention hotline specializing in providing much-needed assistance to LGBTQ+ youth would be terminated. The 988 suicide crisis line is still operational, but members of the queer community will no longer be able to receive specialized care from the call center. It's no wonder Maples' marriage to Donald didn't last. And clearly, she's much better off without him.