The Best And Worst Days Of Ivanka Trump's Life

Over the last several years, Ivanka Trump has gone from heiress to entrepreneur to first daughter. During father Donald Trump's presidency, she became a highly publicized figure, though she's always had some degree of fame. From the reports of her extravagant wedding to Jared Kushner to the birth of her three children, many of Ivanka Trump's happiest days have been covered by various media outlets. 

But with the Trump family comes controversy, and Ivanka Trump was not without her own controversies regarding her business, her products, and even her opinions. With a life as interesting as Ivanka Trump's you're bound to have some bad days, after all, but for someone in the media, bad days can be bad for business and reputation. Yikes. Read on how to find out what were some of the best days in Ivanka Trump's life and the days she probably wished hadn't ever happened at all.

Even if Ivanka Trump was allegedly aware that her products would be dropped by Nordstrom (via People), the reasons behind the decision have been much speculated about. Donald Trump's controversies, such as the vulgar Access Hollywood tape that was leaked to the public, inspired boycotts from activists. The #GrabyourWallet campaign was a movement to boycott stores carrying Trump products, as Refinery29 reported, and Nordstrom notably made headlines for dropping Ivanka's brand from their stores, with other fashion brands following suit. Neiman Marcus, Belk, Jet, and Gilt were among some of the companies to drop Ivanka's clothing following the widely publicized controversy. 

But despite the protests and political controversies, a spokesperson for Nordstrom told Refinery29, "This was absolutely not political," but instead, strictly for business reasons. Apparently sales weren't doing so great. Still, politics was likely still a factor in performance, and either way, it wasn't a good look for Ivanka Trump.

The Trumps are no strangers to the press, but the day Ivanka Trump had a tense interview with Cosmopolitan must have been embarrassing, as it made for one of the most awkward Ivanka Trump moments. The interview with Prachi Gupta was set to be about her father's new child care policy and maternity leave policy, which Ivanka had actually had a hand in crafting (via CNN), and things became tense when Gupta brought up Donald Trump's controversial statements about women prior to the policy.

"I think that you have a lot of negativity in these questions," Ivanka said in response to Gupta asking about the policy lacking anything for fathers or same-sex couples. She cut the interview early, apologizing and saying she "[had] to run," but for Ivanka, the damage was already done, as Cosmopolitan released the transcript and the media coverage began. Later, Ivanka Trump tweeted at Cosmopolitan, saying, "Your readers do [and] should care about issues impacting women [and] children. Keep the focus where it belongs — advocating change."

When Ivanka Trump was 8, her parents went through a public divorce and cheating scandal, as People reported. Her mother, Ivana Trump, and father, Donald Trump, divorced following the allegations that he had cheated with model and actress Marla Maples. (He and Maples married in 1993, though that didn't last.) 

The tabloids covered the drama, but Ivanka Trump, when speaking about the divorce to People magazine, said, "We didn't have newspapers in the house for a significant period of time and the TV wasn't on when they weren't there," and so she wasn't aware of the tabloid coverage as a young girl. Even during the divorce, her parents were cordial and kind to each other, even while tensions rose in the tabloids. When People asked Ivanka in the same interview about her relationship with Maples, she didn't have a lot to say about Maples other than they weren't close. And could you blame her? But her relationship with half-sister Tiffany Trump was strong. "She's my little sister! I've been close to Tiffany her whole life, and I really love her," she said in the same interview.

When Donald Trump was the 2016 Republican presidential nominee, a 2005 recording was leaked to the public, in which he was caught saying sexist and derogatory things about women. Surely this must have been difficult for Ivanka Trump, as his daughter, to hear. For a while after, she didn't speak up on the matter. But finally, she broke her silence two weeks later to Fast Company on the same day her stepmother, Melania Trump, gave her statement to Anderson Cooper.

"My father's comments were clearly inappropriate and offensive and I'm glad that he acknowledged this fact with an immediate apology to my family and the American people," she said to Fast Company. Despite the fact that she clearly didn't support her father's comments, in the same interview, Ivanka made it clear her relationship with her father is close, alluding to the idea that he isn't all the media makes him out to be. This isn't surprising, as Ivanka has supported her dad in the past.

Another bad day for Ivanka Trump's brand was when designer Aquazzura accused the first daughter of copying the design of one of their shoes in June 2016. The "Wild Thing" red sandal with fringe across the toe and at the end of the ties ran around $700, compared to Ivanka's similarly designed heel at about $145, according to Mic. Because of the design's distinct look that's reportedly indicative of the brand, Aquazzura filed a trade dress infringement suit against Donald Trump's eldest daughter, as well as Marc Fisher, her licensee. Ivanka Trump and Marc Fisher denied the allegation.

A judge mandated Ivanka testify in court, but her legal team argued that she should be excused from having to testify. She said, "I had no involvement in the conception, design, production or sale of the 'Hettie Shoe,'" according to the Associated Press. About a year after initially suing, Aquazzura dropped the lawsuit.

It's not easy to write a book, but Ivanka Trump's done it. Women Who Work was released in 2017, and is a call to action to other women on how to cultivate opportunities and succeed in business. Ivanka even donated full royalties to the Ivanka M. Trump Charitable Fund, a donor-advised fund that gives grants for organizations that support women (via CNN). While the book made over $1.1 million, according to Forbes, it still ended up losing money for its publisher and garnered pretty negative reviews. Fifty-eight percent of people who reviewed it on Amazon gave it one star, as reported by Harper's Bazaar.

Most of the criticism said that the book was a summary of other self-help books already on the market, and that Ivanka was blind to the privilege that led to her success (via Independent). Even with the scathing reviews, she put on a proud front on social media by promoting her new book. But anyone who writes knows how much those bad reviews can sting, so that day must not have been easy for her.

The 2020 presidential race went to Joe Biden, thus ending Donald Trump's time as president and, subsequently, Ivanka Trump's time as first daughter. That couldn't have been a good day for anyone in the Trump family. Ivanka even tweeted in support of her dad, writing, "Every legally cast vote should be counted. Every illegally cast vote should not. This should not be controversial." CNN reported that she soon changed her tune, stating that she and Jared Kushner were advising that her dad to concede the election. "She also knows that her entire future — now more than ever — is tied to her father's," an insider told CNN. Ivanka has also responded to the claims of investigations against her dad for tax fraud in a series of heated tweets, according to Vanity Fair. 

Donald Trump's controversial term as president has affected a lot of people's views about him and his family as well, which leaves Ivanka Trump needing a new strategy for her brand now that she isn't first daughter. The Guardian reported she will likely not return to fashion, as she closed her brand to focus on her job in the White House.