Ivanka Trump's Glaring Absence At Melania Premiere Backs Those Feud Rumors

Ivanka Trump's life is far from a Cinderella story, but there might be a wicked stepmother in the mix. The rumored feud with President Donald Trump's second wife, Melania Trump, was put on blast by Ivanka's glaring absence from the box office flop "Melania" documentary premiere. While the eldest Trump daughter has shared some questionable fashion choices with the first lady, Melania was apparently adamant not to share the spotlight with her stepdaughter at the Kennedy Center. The documentary follows Melania in the 20 days leading up to her husband's inauguration in 2025, a rare insight into the private figure's life. In the months leading up to the documentary's release, Ivanka was also made aware that she had been completely edited out of the documentary, reportedly leaving her hurt, but knowing where she stands with her stepmother.

While Melania and Donald were walking the red carpet at the Kennedy Center, Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, were spotted at a JPMorgan Chase and Co. event in Miami Beach. A bit tongue-in-cheek, but ultimately respectful of her step-mom's desire to dominate the spotlight. An insider made it adamant to Rob Shuter on his Substack that "Melania wants this night all to herself," noting how "when the spotlight's this dim, no one's sharing it." Another source claimed "there's zero love lost" between the two women, but "Ivanka's absence is intentional." The source also noted that "Melania and Ivanka do not get along ... There's a real tension, and Melania made it clear she didn't want Ivanka anywhere near this film."

The inner workings of the first family have been anything but simple, with power and a hefty inheritance being juggled between President Donald Trump's wife, Melania Trump, and his five kids and grandchildren. In her memoir, "Melania", the first lady knew that marrying into a big family with adult children would be complex to navigate. "I recognize their individuality, understanding that, as their stepmother, my role is not to replace their mothers but to nurture a supportive and amicable connection," she wrote (via Daily Mail). While the inside of her relationship to Donald's second child, Ivanka Trump, is anything but consistent, their friction certainly has been.

Dubbed 'Operation Block Ivanka,' the first lady's former advisor Winston Wilkoff exposed the various measures and maneuvers used to keep Ivanka away from the cameras in an interview with Elle back in 2020. Jealousy might be natural, considering Ivanka's very (arguably too) close relationship with her father over the years. The Wall Street Journal reported that Melania's slow move into the White House during her husband's first term was, in large part, due to prenuptial and postnuptial negotiations in competition with Ivanka, who had already been making her presence in the West Wing well-established. For Donald's second term, Ivanka has decided to stay out of the administration entirely, leaving the public to wonder whether or not the former-favorite is welcome back home at all.