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Raising Trump

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In Raising Trump, Ivana Trump reflects on her extraordinary life and the raising of her three children—Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka—and recounts the lessons she taught her children as they were growing up.

As her former husband takes his place as the 45th President of the United States, his children have also been thrust into the media spotlight—but it is Ivana who raised them and proudly instilled in them what she believes to be the most important life lessons: loyalty, honesty, integrity, and drive. Raising Trump is a non-partisan, non-political book about motherhood, strength, and resilience. Though Ivana writes about her childhood in communist Czechoslovakia, her escape from the regime and relocation to New York, her whirlwind romance, and her great success as a businesswoman, the focus of the book is devoted to Ivana’s raising of her children. Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump will all contribute their own memories to the book.

“Every day, people ask me how I raised such great kids. They are truly amazed when I tell them that there was no magic to their upbringing. I was a tough and loving mother who taught them the value of a dollar, not to lie, cheat, or steal, respect for others, and other life lessons that I’ll share now in Raising Trump, along with unfiltered personal stories about Don, Eric, and Ivanka from their early childhood to becoming the ‘first sons and daughter.’” —Ivana Trump

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 10, 2017

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About the author

Ivana Trump

11 books14 followers
Ivana Trump was a Czech-American businesswoman, author, socialite, and former fashion model. She was the first wife of Ex-President Donald Trump. They had three children: Donald John Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Fredrick.

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5 stars
302 (30%)
4 stars
289 (29%)
3 stars
249 (25%)
2 stars
100 (10%)
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51 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
Profile Image for Erin .
1,742 reviews1,541 followers
Want to Read
October 10, 2017
This book seems petty as hell. Ivana, I believe you. You are the real "First Lady"
Profile Image for Ericka Clou.
2,896 reviews218 followers
October 22, 2020
This is more of an autobiography of Ivana Trump with a special focus on her children (and written contributions from Don Jr, Ivanka, and Eric). She’s had an interesting life and her book is very readable. There’s barely a bad word about Donald Trump and that’s just as well, because despite picking this book, I am sick of reading about him. It was an accidental break from him.

I don’t buy it though. 1) She claims Donald wasn't particularly rich when she married him. Compared to what? He paid the tab for her entire table of models, right? And we all know he inherited all of his wealth from his father and made investments that only cost him money. 2) Also, hard work is nice, but what about all the hard-working employees Trump failed to pay? 3) I'm glad that she feels she worked hard at the family business but who was going to tell her otherwise if she was slacking? How would she have qualified for such a job in the first place if it wasn't the family business? 4) But okay, supposing she did work hard, if you happen to be at the intersection of hard work and good luck it’s easy to say that hard work got you where you are. But what about all the many people who work just as hard for their whole lives and don’t get a fraction of the pie? To overlook them or to purposely look away is to miss the entire story.

I don’t buy her biased view of her children, here they are supporting the worst administration in my lifetime so I snorted reading about her children’s charities when Donald Trump stole money from his and Eric resigned from his for reasons that are unclear to me from news stories.

It's my experience that people that struggle in communist regimes tend to over-value ambition and the accumulation of money precisely because their lack of political freedom was tied to a lack of economic freedom. I despise tyranny, and I am not advocating laziness, but I think the helping professions are of greater spiritual value than those in which the only focus is the accumulation of wealth. And when the accumulation of wealth results in active harm to employees (such as those Donald did not pay) it is an evil.
1 review
October 19, 2017
NOT WHAT YOU THINK

I'll be honest -- I went in to this book VERY skeptical, especially after all the news coverage about the "real first lady" business. That's why I was stunned to discover that this is actually a warm, wonderful, and perhaps most surprising of all, WELL WRITTEN book that is all about motherhood and family values. It's not about picking fights, it's about the things that really matter. I'm a mother, and it was so refreshing to get this account of a strong woman raising her children in the right way -- I'll tell you, it makes me feel a little better about some of the things going on today. Oh and FYI, this book doesn't have a bad word in it about Melania or pretty much anyone else.
Profile Image for Becca Harris.
468 reviews37 followers
December 13, 2017
This book was exactly what I needed to read right now. I laughed out loud multiple times because Ivana is frank, open & witty. It's easy to see why she & Donald were attracted to each other & also why they didn't last together. Obviously she raised some fantastic kids & her parenting advise is pretty great. I appreciated the input from her kids sprinkled throughout the book. A great, easy, light-hearted read.
Profile Image for Barbara   Mahoney.
1,040 reviews
October 28, 2017
This book is a memoir written by Ivana Trump, the first wife of President Donald Trump.

The first part of the book is about her early life growing up in communist Czechoslovakia. I did not know that she had been a serious skier - almost making it to the Olympics. Her early life and challenges were interesting to read about.

The rest of the book focuses mostly on how she raised her three children. She was strict and had "old world values" and made the kids work for things rather than just giving them everything. She was also a working parent - running multiple businesses for her husband while the children were little. She had the help of two nannies and her parents who visited for extended periods of time. Ivana is clearly proud of her children and includes short stories written by each of her children about their childhood. The kids supported their mother in writing the book by adding their own memories.

What turned me off about this book was Ivana's constant bragging. She states that if you are not the best at something - why even bother. She then goes on to say that she is the best at everything she does - motherhood, business, skiing, her appearance, etc. I find that people who really are the best at something don't have to shout it out loud constantly. I really tired of listening to her bragging by the middle of the book....and it never stopped - it continued until the end of the book with her bragging that although she is 68 that she does not look or act like an "old biddy" like others her age.

Ivana has had an interesting life and her memoir is surprisingly readable. However, I didn't enjoy her constant bragging. Having read the book, I think she would be a difficult person to have as a mother. She is very demanding and seemed to value achievement (being the best) more than happiness.
Profile Image for Chris.
482 reviews7 followers
February 22, 2018
I loved this book, and couldn't put it down, and just wanted it to continue. Ivana Trump tells about her life growing up in Communist Czechoslovakia, and how she excelled at skiing to be able to leave the country. She "married" a friend, an Austrian skier named Alfred Winklmayr, to be able to leave country legally and divorced him after two years. Her parents gave her a strong work ethic and she met Donald Trump when she was a model. They married, and she raised the children with her ethics so they did not become spoiled like other rich families. The children all add little comments throughout the book. Even after the divorce, she worked at her own jewelry line, with HSN. She never said a bad word about Donald to her children, and kept her dignity.
240 reviews1 follower
July 27, 2026
If you're the kind of person who likes reading about The Rich And Famous: Their Doings, their Parties, Vacations, and Lives, this is right up your alley!
This was recommended to me by an acquaintance; I haven't any idea why, since I am a non-fiction, science loving introvert, and it was a complete yawn for me- as it reads like a list of possessions, accomplishments, and adventures, with zero depth or introspection.
About a third of the way through, I just started skimming, flip, flip, flip.
I now know far more than I ever cared to about this family.
Profile Image for Marian.
701 reviews10 followers
December 11, 2017
Ivana Trump is possessed of an outsized personality, an irreverent and opinionated outlook on life, and a huge love for her children and grandchildren. There wasn't much about Donald Trump in this book, and that was fine. What was interesting to me was reading about Ivana's childhood in communist Czechoslovakia, which seemed as happy as it did difficult; the way she raised her children, which was very tough-love and demanding; and the ostentatious lifestyle she enjoyed. Personally, what I took away from this book was that Donald and Ivana had a happy, entitled family life until he got involved with Marla Maples. But on the other hand, maybe that's just what Ivana wants us to think. Who can really know?
2 reviews
October 14, 2017
What a surprise!!!!!

I read this book in two days. Let me tell you how shocked I was to really enjoy this book. It was very interesting and revealing. She did a great job with her children and she is a very strong woman. Loved this book!!!
Profile Image for Jeanne.
877 reviews
March 6, 2018
Ivana Trump is a narcissist, there's no doubt. This book is full of her bragging about how wealthy she is. The book overflows with "name dropping"--people, places and things of the ultra-rich and famous.
As much as it irritates me to admit it, I must admire Ivana's parenting style.
290 reviews1 follower
February 24, 2018
OK the only reason I read this book - a friend who house sat for me left it. And only anticipating a conversation with this person - I read/perused this book. I knew some things about Ivana and was a little curious about the life she led early - a life that was not rich at all. But I also feel this was a total waste of my time. This woman grew up in a carefully monitored country, married to get a passport from another country and then out of her homeland.
She admits that she is rich, proud of it and it more than happy to spend. Her life with her children - she ate breakfast and dinner with them everyday, she or the nannies took them to school, she worked on Trump projects and it is ok with her that she and dt divorced. She did not help out at the children's schools, did not allow playdates in their home. She says she is philantrophic but does not mention any of her work and why she supports these projects.
To me she came across as rich woman, trying to say how good the family is - and yes she has a far different perspective that many. To me she comes across a very entitled and proud of that.
I read this in a day - and proudly admit that I did skip over some paragraphs. I feel this was a total waste of my time and cannot recommend it.
622 reviews1 follower
February 25, 2018
I really enjoyed this honest , no holds barred book by Ivana Trump and read it in one sitting. I'm actually old enough to remember the scandal and reason of her breakup with the Donald. What I didn't know was much of her background which she provided in this book , that she grew up under Soviet rule and was able to legally get out. That she didn't just leave her parents behind to find her future. In reading her story, I have gained a great respect for Ivana as a woman, a wife, a mother and a daughter for the strength she has maintained in difficult situations while retaining her poise. You have to give her credit for bringing up her children with high standards and moral fiber. Well done, Ivana!
Profile Image for Mark Paul.
77 reviews11 followers
November 15, 2017
I hate Trump, but this book is mostly well-written, especially when recounting personal history. I really disliked when the children wrote their accounts - it wreaked with privilege and revisionist history. Ivana is a great storyteller and has a knack for connecting her stories to form a cohesive narrative.
Profile Image for Aaron Mcilhenny.
402 reviews20 followers
Want to Read
October 12, 2017
I wanna read this book half as meme but half out of honest curiosity. Hopefully I find it in a dumpster somewhere bc I don't wanna Actually Spend Money on it if I can avoid it
29 reviews2 followers
October 24, 2017
Ivana Trump is more than just the head of the first wives club
Profile Image for Emily Fetzer.
32 reviews3 followers
November 7, 2017
3.5 stars if I could. I️ enjoyed reading about the kids childhood however I️ am conflicted in my feelings about her!
Profile Image for Mrs Tupac.
727 reviews52 followers
October 29, 2018
I had to force myself to read this one. I thought it was going to be some type of juicy stormi Daniels type of ish but nope ! It stuck to the title.... then I remembered there was a clause were Ivana CANNOT talk about her marriage (in depth) and the divorce proceedings. Her meeting the Trump family was funny they bickered amongst eachother , were successful tight asses, & Donald got mad at her when she didn't order steak (omg lmao). I read "I had a good life" over a thousand times in this book okay girl we get it.

When she first meet D.Trump they both looked homely looking (He still does) he seemed gone all the time no wonder she was the socialite what else was there to do. I wonder why her and D didn't think to do some good in her own country. She liked her job I wish I could see some of her designs. Her children grew up to be Republican so I wonder if she's with the same party. And she kept hinting that her daughter might run for president (hmm.....).... She said she's not bitter about not being the F.L.O.T.U.S but she kept saying she's the first mother blah....blah....blah..... Yeah right if this was 15 years ago you would fall into place like Melania...... it was funny how she got her kids to do stuff when they were younger "if you don't learn to ski Rick won't be able to make money to feed his children" lmao.

And as a Trump I'm mad she didn't have the woman Trudy who watched her son put in jail she left him unattended then let him fall to break his leg hell no wtf do rich people be thinking. Alot of her problems were rich people problems if you asked me. Even when she shamelessly found out she was getting cheated on she threw all her anger (bookwise) into the other woman down talked her like a dog (lmao).
"I'm Marla. I love your husband do you?" Omfg I thought it would be a showdown but all Ivana said was
"Of course I love my husband get out of here" instead of running away she should've read that woman for the filth and explain how the heLL did she show up for family time.


It was sad 2 of her lovers passed and the other two cheated on her. And she still remained friends with them WTF. she didnt expose too much & kept it clean enough so she wouldnt risk being sued. Certain parts of the book were confusing she would be boosting about her divorceė life then the next chapter she's married to Trump (flashback).
I did like the kind words she had to say about Michael Jackson:). The book was really about her & the kids but how could it be raising Trump if they had nannies this book should've been called birthing trumps (lol).

She was very forth telling with all her luxury I found myself turning the pages saying "damn can a sista like me live this good". She didn't seem very maternal she popped them kids out, hired some help , then went back to work she seemed so self centered. But nothing less her children love her but I was wondering if maybe her IUD would've worked would they have been born. This was a slow read for me I thought she would go against the grain but she didn't she painted Trump like a semi angel. Sounds like she still loves HIM. I wonder what's her dating life like now.
Profile Image for Mary.
305 reviews16 followers
April 3, 2018
Ivana was the best deal Trump ever made and he eventually and inevitably blew it. It is important to me to humanize him. Ivana helps out in that regard.

The Trumps are not like me. I study them like a half-hearted anthropologist. I can’t relate at all but I yearn to understand how this very alien, over-the-top family won over the hearts and minds of so many people the Trumps would not be caught dead with. I think I do get it.

Ivana presents herself as a superhuman at full speed with an abundance of self-control. She is motivated by her standards of perfection, power and money. Her hard-charging athletic and academic upbringing during paranoid communist times in Czechoslovakia explains a lot. Her parents were also naturally driven superpeople. Getting ahead at work or acting entrepreneurial or creative were not options for them under communism, thus Project Ivana. They were able to channel all that energy into supporting their daughter’s skiing and school work. Ivana’s fortitude, motivation and unusual background helped groom her to tolerate Trump’s insolence while she achieved her family and business goals. She used him as an entrée and then stepping on over him after the lovely Marla Maples thrust herself into the public eye.

I do enjoy that the Trumps view themselves as arbiters of the (nouveau) upper-class. Everything they touch is beautiful and the best. Bah!
Profile Image for Jean Haberman.
425 reviews
January 11, 2018
I feel both revulsion and respect for Ivana Trump. Her Czech upbringing developed in her a desire to succeed and established positive family values. There is no doubt that she loves her children. She talks about enjoying family time in her grandmother's cabin in the Czech Republic, and then follows that with a cruise in her yacht, M.Y. Ivana. She talks about the importance of having a few close friends, and then mentions inviting 60 of her closest friends on a cruise.

Her advice to her kids, "Get the right job. Marry the right person." She felt that one of Don's girlfriends wasn't a "good fit" for the Trump family. One of Ivanka's boyfriends was short, 5'5", and Ivana said, "I don't dislike him. I've just had it with him up to here. You get it? Up to here!" and she put her hand at her breast level. I have to give Ivanka credit. She didn't talk to her mother for two weeks.

Ivana was a hard worker in the Trump empire. Dear Donald paid her back by having an affair. Ivana went on with her rich and famous life and enjoys spending time with younger, tan men. She likes to have a leopard decorated room in all her homes, not to mention the chandeliers!

I can't imagine a life like hers - nor would I want it. Who knows what one would do in the same situation.

Profile Image for Kelly.
5 reviews
February 12, 2018
This was on the new release shelf at the library and caught my eye. I’ve never known much about Ivana or how she met Donald. It was interesting to learn about where she came from and the upbringing of Don, Eric and Ivanka. She raised her kids to be hard workers, not spoiled brats. Say what you want about Donald, but his kids turned out great (in a world of Kardashians). Ivana did not say negative things toward Donald and Melanie, and I was quite surprised that she and Donald are still friends. She has undying love for her grandchildren and it sounds like the feeling is mutual. This book made me LOL a few times and I’m glad I was able to learn about the story behind the “Trumps.”
Profile Image for Haidong.
176 reviews
May 9, 2020
Wish I could have read this book 6-7 years ago, mostly for child rearing and other life lessons, such as
- Let kids start working for real: Don Jr/Eric started working at age 12 at construction site, earning min wages as everyone else, and didnt get a raise for 1+ yr (because he didnt ask for it)
- Teach kids manner, and politeness, towards everyone.
- Never bad mouth your ex in front of kids
- Let kids observe parents in real working scenarios, probably more valuable than anything book/school can teach; Jobs did similar for his son
- Two most important things to be happy in life: Take the right job, and marry the right person
Profile Image for Dora.
51 reviews6 followers
November 23, 2020
I have a vivid image of Stifler's mom from American Pie as Ivana Trump in this book, wearing all pink with a feather collar and a large amount of jewelry shouting "I'm amazing!" at you from most pages in Raising Trump. As I was reading this book, I found myself wondering whether Donald learned his non-wavering self flattery from Ivana, or Ivana from Trump. The way Ivana expresses herself is so reminiscent of the vernacular we're used to associating with Donald Trump. It's hilarious. I come from Czechoslovakia myself, so the bits in which she describes communism don't strike me as shocking. But, I did enjoy those parts the most. The rest of the book was a giant eye roll for me.
Profile Image for Melanie Izzo picciotti.
309 reviews7 followers
May 1, 2024
Ivana writes very well. I don’t agree with her view of The Donald but I admire her and also feel very sorry for her. I think this strong woman really wanted to remain married to a man who was not worthy of her. The fact that she’s buried in an unkept grave at a golf club (for tax reasons according to rumor) pains me. Why aren’t the children, she believed were so unspoiled, irate over the disrespect her ex heaped on her after death?
25 reviews
October 31, 2017
So I only got through about a quarter of the book and gave up. Ivana seems to want us to feel sorry for her and I have trouble doing that. It might get better but I cannot take anymore of her self-indulged words.
1 review
October 13, 2017
Not worth reading, very dull

Boring. Made me ask WHO CARES? The book reminds me of someone's diary. I feel like I wasted my time and money.
No stars
Profile Image for Anne-Marie.
749 reviews4 followers
October 17, 2017
Listened to on Audible. I tried I just couldn’t listen
Profile Image for Mandy Anderson.
17 reviews2 followers
October 25, 2017
Interesting read

Glad I read it. Ivana has had a unique life and yet somewhat normal . Definitely extraordinary. Interesting life and stories
Profile Image for Dianne.
310 reviews
November 8, 2017
Very entertaining!! She was one smart businesswoman as well as an excellent mother.
7 reviews
June 3, 2020
It's more like 3.6, but I hope more parents will read it, so I rounded up.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews