In the world of celebrity romances, few have been as intriguingly complex as that of Donald Trump and Marla Maples. Their relationship was a whirlwind of passion, controversy, and public scrutiny that captured the attention of the media and the public alike.
Donald Trump, the real estate mogul and future President of the United States, first met Marla Maples, an actress and model, in the late 1980s. At the time, Trump was still married to his first wife, Ivana Trump, with whom he had three children. Despite his marital status, Trump and Maples began a highly publicized affair that would eventually lead to the end of Trump’s marriage to Ivana.
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The affair between Trump and Maples became tabloid fodder, with rumors swirling about their relationship and the eventual breakdown of Trump’s marriage.
The media frenzy reached its peak when Maples famously declared on the front page of the New York Post that she and Trump had “the best sex I’ve ever had.” The statement further fuelled public interest and cemented Maples’ status as a household name.
Photo at left was an exclusive “special for the Mail On Sunday attn: Mark Anning” sent over The AP leafdesk wire service in 1991 to the London Daily Mail. The photo shows playboy Donald Trump kissing another woman while his girlfriend Marla Marples looks at the camera.
The colour photograph was sent over the wires as three colour separations for the newspaper printers, in this case the Magenta filter was placed over the AP scanner. The Cyan and Yellow would be also be sent, and the newspaper printer would put the image together to produce a full colour page of the newspaper. Transmission time was about seven minutes each separation with a minute for the machine to reset between images, generally less than thirty minutes.
Trump marries Marla Maples
In 1993, shortly after his divorce from Ivana was finalized, Trump married Maples in a lavish ceremony. Jeffrey Epstein was among the guests at the couple’s wedding, reflecting the close social relationship the two men maintained during that period.
However, their marriage was not without its challenges. The intense scrutiny from the media, combined with Trump’s demanding career and larger-than-life persona, put a strain on their relationship.
In 1993, Donald Trump found himself amidst the ruins of a faltering business empire. Three of his Atlantic City casinos had plunged into bankruptcy.
Struggling under the weight of a staggering $3.4 billion debt, he faced the ignominy of creditors imposing strict financial constraints, allowing him a mere $450,000 monthly stipend.
Forced by bankers’ pressure, Trump had to part with prized possessions like his 282-foot yacht, the Trump Princess, along with relinquishing control of the Trump Shuttle airline and his stake in the Plaza hotel, once hailed as “the ultimate trophy in the world.”
Despite the challenges they faced, Trump and Maples welcomed a daughter, Tiffany Trump, in 1993. However, even the birth of their child couldn’t save their marriage, and the couple ultimately divorced in 1999.
Marla Maples, pregnant with her daughter Tiffany in 1993.
Photo: @itsmarlamaples/Instagram
Marla Maples reportedly received just $1 million dollars, plus another million to purchase a home, from Donald Trump in the divorce, which she wisely invested in Los Angeles real estate – a five-bedroom, six-bathroom mansion.
The Pre-Nup Agreement ensured that Donald Trump would also pay $100,000 year in child support for Tiffany up until that age of 21, but if she “got a full-time job, enlisted in the military, or joined the Peace Corps,” then the money would end earlier.
Maples is bound by a confidentiality agreement regarding their marriage.
In 2019, Maples had a recurring role as Gay Nancy on the HBO hit televangelist comedy series The Righteous Gemstones, following decades in roles in shows like Dallas, Happiness, Spin City and The Nanny. Marla also featured on Dancing with the Stars.
Since their divorce, Trump and Maples have maintained a somewhat amicable relationship for the sake of their daughter. Maples has largely stayed out of the spotlight, focusing on her career and raising Tiffany.
Did Marla Maples warn other women about Donald Trump?
One of the more striking anecdotes to emerge in recent reporting concerns an encounter allegedly involving Marla Maples at a party hosted at Mar-a-Lago in late 1994. According to The New York Times, 14-year-old aspiring model Tina Davis had been invited to the event after being signed by Ford Models. Her mother, Sandra Coleman, accompanied her and later recalled that several of the guests were teenage models, whom she described as “really young.” Coleman also claimed the girls were encouraged to dress provocatively, were repeatedly offered champagne, and were approached throughout the evening by older men.
Coleman said she encountered Marla Maples in a bathroom during the party. According to her account, Maples took her hands and quietly urged her to keep her daughter away from the men at the gathering, adding, “especially my husband,” and encouraging her to “protect” the teenager. Coleman has maintained that the warning reflected Maples’ concern for the young girls attending the event.
Maples, however, disputes that version of events. While telling The New York Times that she has always tried to protect young women whenever she could, she said she was “sure” she never specifically warned Coleman about her husband. The conversation has never been tested in court and remains a matter of conflicting recollections.
At the time, Maples and Donald Trump had been married for about a year and were raising their young daughter, Tiffany. Their marriage had attracted intense public attention after beginning while Trump was still married to his first wife, Ivana.
Donald Trump was still married to Marla when he met his current wife, Melania in 1998. Though separated from Marla in 1997, their divorce was finalised until the following year.
During a 2022 deposition in the civil case brought by E. Jean Carroll, Donald Trump mistakenly identified Carroll in a photograph as his former wife, Marla Maples. The moment undercut his earlier claim that Carroll was “not his type,” becoming a widely cited exchange in the proceedings.
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