Here's How Much Donald Trump's Divorces Really Cost Him

Divorces can be a costly affair for anyone, but when it comes to the rich and famous, the amounts involved can be astronomical. After ending their 27-year marriage in 2021, Melinda French Gates reportedly received a staggering $25 billion in total in her divorce from her ex-husband, Bill Gates. Jeff Bezos' ex-wife, Mackenzie Scott, got an even bigger sum when they divorced in 2019 after 25 years of marriage, walking away with around $36 billion in Amazon stock at the time. Despite Donald Trump having made regular appearances on Forbes' annual rich list since the 1980s, his ex-wives, Ivana Trump and Marla Maples, did not receive nearly as much in their respective divorces from the real estate mogul-turned-president. However, one of his divorces still cost Donald a pretty penny, considering he wasn't exactly rolling in cash at the time.

One of the most troubled Trump family marriages, Ivana and Donald separated in 1990 after she discovered he was having an affair. However, for a divorce that People magazine dubbed, "Trump Vs. Trump: Billion Dollar Blowup," the settlement was almost underwhelmingly low, mainly due to the existence of a prenuptial agreement and the fact that Donald once described that period as his "lowest financial point in life" (per Newsweek). 

After Ivana challenged their prenup, which stated she could get $25 million at most if they parted ways, their two-year divorce battle ended in 1992 with Ivana getting $14 million ($32 million today) in cash and two properties: an estate in Connecticut and a Trump Plaza apartment. Along with these, Ivana was allowed to stay at her ex-husband's Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, for one month each year and was entitled to receive $650,000 annually in child support.

Ivana Trump shared a valuable lesson about divorcing cheating husbands in the 1996 movie "The First Wives Club," saying: "Don't get mad, get everything," according to People. However, Donald Trump apparently also learned his own lesson as his divorce from his mistress-turned-second wife, Marla Maples, cost him just a fraction of his first one. When he tied the knot with Maples in 1993, the then-self-proclaimed billionaire was billions of dollars in debt, so it was no surprise that he was far less generous in their prenuptial agreement. Upon their divorce in 1999, Maples reportedly received just $2 million in the settlement, with half of the amount to be used for purchasing a home. While Ivana got over $200,000 annually for each of her three children, Maples was entitled to just $100,000 per year for the care of their only child, Tiffany Trump, until her 21st birthday. (However, she later hinted that Donald also paid for their daughter's education.) 

Though there was a huge disparity in their respective divorce settlements, Donald's ex-wives had something in common: they did not have it easy following their respective breakups with him. Ivana not only had to endure media scrutiny but also suffered "deep scars" from her former husband's affair, as she wrote in her 2017 book "Raising Trump" (via People). In an interview with The New York Times, Maples also described her divorce from Donald as "such a painful time," adding: "All those years in the press pretty much ripped my heart out." However, by the time she passed away in 2022, Ivana had been pals with her ex for years. Maples appears to be on good terms with Donald as well, even speaking out in defense of him during his 2024 presidential run.