President Trump has always made it pretty clear that Ivanka is his favorite daughter, but his wife doesn't quite feel the same way. Here's why Melania has a major soft spot for her stepdaughter Tiffany.
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00:00President Trump has always made it pretty clear that Ivanka is his favorite daughter,
00:04but his wife doesn't quite feel the same way. Here's why Melania has a
00:08major soft spot for her stepdaughter Tiffany.
00:10Being a stepmother is often a thankless job, especially when your husband is New York's
00:15most recognizable real estate mogul and, now, the president. In 2005,
00:19the newlywed Melania Trump had no idea that she would eventually become first lady,
00:23but she was well aware that she was taking a different responsibility as the stepmom of Ivanka,
00:28Tiffany, Eric, and Don Jr. While there's long been speculation about tension between Melania
00:32Trump and her stepdaughter Ivanka, the same can't be said for the first lady and her other
00:36stepdaughter, Tiffany Trump. It actually seems as though Melania and Tiffany's relationship is a
00:41very close one from the start. The number one piece of evidence regarding Melania and Tiffany's
00:45closeness is a picture of the two taken all the way back in 2000. Tiffany was just under
00:50seven years old at the time the pic was taken, and it's safe to say she seemed fairly enamored
00:54with her dad's then-girlfriend. The two seemed cozy while Donald Trump, who earlier that year
00:58had suspended his presidential campaign as a member of the Reform Party, remained focused
01:02on the U.S. Open tennis match they'd gone to see. The picture is worlds apart from anything we've
01:07seen of Melania and Ivanka, both today and back then. While it's always a possibility that the
01:12feud rumors between the two have been inflated somewhat, there's no question that they've always
01:16looked more formal than familial when pictured together. It probably has to do with the age
01:20difference. Ivanka, who had a famously close bond with her mother, Ivana, was probably in
01:24her late teens when she met Melania for the first time. That's hardly the most receptive age at the
01:29best of times, but the fact that Melania is only 11 years older than Ivanka probably led to some
01:34awkward feelings and conversations. That said, Ivanka still made sure to hype up her stepmother
01:38after her father was elected for the first time in 2016.
01:41"...Melania will be an unbelievable first lady. She's a remarkable person."
01:48Tiffany, meanwhile, was only 5 years old when her dad met her stepmom,
01:51meaning that some of her earliest memories probably involve Melania in some capacity.
01:55Notably, her mom is different from Ivanka's, too. She's Donald's second wife, Marla Maples.
02:00Of course, the first lady hasn't stayed silent about what it was like
02:03suddenly becoming a stepmom of four. In her memoir, Melania,
02:06she wrote about tailoring her dynamic with each of Donald Trump's kids from previous relationships,
02:10elaborating,
02:11"...my approach to building relationships with Donald's children has always been grounded in
02:15love and respect. I recognize their individuality, understanding that, as a stepmother,
02:20my role is not to replace their mothers, but to nurture a supportive and amicable connection."
02:24Whatever Melania's relationship with Ivanka Trump looks like behind closed doors,
02:28it's pretty clear we won't be hearing about it anytime soon.
02:31Other than mentioning her different dynamics with each of her stepchildren,
02:34Melania didn't share any further details in her memoir about what those dynamics actually are.
02:39She's not the only one holding back, though, as some listeners have pointed out that Ivanka's
02:43appearance on the skinny confidential Him and Her podcast made zero mention of her stepmother.
02:47Of course, Ivanka was speaking about the influence her parents had on her growing up,
02:51so perhaps she didn't mention Melania because her stepmom only entered the picture in her late
02:55teen years. Either way, it definitely doesn't seem like either Melania or Ivanka will be coming
03:00clean about any real tension between them. As for Tiffany, even though she's long been
03:04seen as Donald's less-favored daughter, it seems that she still has her stepmom in her corner.
03:13Here's what's next!