In light of Vanessa Trump filing for divorce from Donald Trump Jr., his mother, Ivana Trump, suggested that the couple's five children will not prevent him from finding new love—but they might make it more difficult for his future ex-wife.
"Donald Jr. is a good-looking guy. He is successful. He is not going to have a problem to find a girl," Ivana Trump told the New York Post in a report published Saturday. "Maybe Vanessa might have a little problem because she has five kids.... Who is going to date and marry the woman who has five children?"
Ivana Trump, who was the first of President Donald Trump's three wives and had three children with him, added that Vanessa Trump might struggle to find a match, "especially since she is young [40], and she might want to have more."
Ivana Trump's comments drew fire from critics online, who said she favored her son over her future daughter-in-law.
She "apparently doesn't know who's the father of these five children," author J.D. Landis tweeted.
In an interview Ivana...Mrs Trump #1 said she feels Vanessa Trump, Jr's soon to be ex will have a hard time meeting a new man because she has 5 kids..but Jr will be fine, he's a good looking guy..(barf). News flash. Jr has 5 kids too...Double Standard a bit?
— Peggy (@kennelgal) April 22, 2018
Ivana Trump could be wrong, at least according to one 2015 survey by the online dating site PlentyOfFish. Single moms with kids younger than 18 years old found love 10 percent quicker than women without children at home, the survey found. None of Vanessa Trump and Trump Jr.'s kids have reached their teenage years.
However, Ivana Trump also expressed sympathy for Vanessa Trump's situation.
"It's always distressing, because I've been there," Ivana Trump told the Post, referring to her divorce from Donald Trump that stemmed from his cheating with actress Marla Maples, who wound up being his second wife. "But who am I to judge, and who knows what was the situation at that moment?"
Vanessa Trump filed for divorce last month, after reports emerged that Trump Jr. was allegedly involved in several affairs, including one with former Celebrity Apprentice contestant Aubrey O'Day.
"It's a long time ago now, so I think Vanessa knew it all along, and maybe she just couldn't get over the hurt to forgive him," Ivana Trump said. "But I honestly don't know that many men who can keep their zippers up."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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A Los Angeles native, Jessica Kwong grew up speaking Spanish, Cantonese and English, in that order. Her journalism career started ... Read more
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