Donald Trump Jr. and his wife are reportedly heading for divorce - here's an inside look at the relationship between the first son and the ex-model who used to date Leonardo DiCaprio
Vanessa, formerly Vanessa Haydon, was working as a model at the time. Donald Jr. wasn't her first famous beau — she made headlines after being spotted with Leonardo DiCaprio at a movie premier in 1997.
Don Jr., meanwhile, had at that point been working at the Trump Organization for a few years.
Donald Jr. graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2000. He spent a few years as a ski bum in Aspen, Colorado before returning to New York City.
The pair married in 2005 at the Mar-a-Lago Resort in West Palm Springs.
"Donald Trump Sr. had taken his son to task on "Larry King Live" for accepting a free engagement ring from a jeweler at a mall in New Jersey in exchange for publicly announcing his engagement there," The New York Times reported. "'You have a name that is hot as a pistol, you have to be very careful with things like this,' the elder Trump told King."
For the first decade of their relationship, the couple's comings-and-goings were covered primarily by gossip columns and tabloids.
Vanessa was a common presence on the charity circuit. While Don Jr. spent his early 20s hiding from the spotlight, the pair began to make headlines together more frequently after they married.
Source: The New York Times
However, as Donald Trump began campaigning in the 2016 presidential election, Don Jr. got involved as well.
Don Jr. aggressively advocated for his father and attacked critics on social media.
In September 2016, Donald Jr. posted an image cmoparing supposed terrorists hidden among refugees to poisoned Skittles in a candy bowl. The meme was critiqued by many as both offensive and factually inaccurate.
Vanessa, meanwhile, has stayed out of the spotlight for the last few years — both on social media and in the realm of politics.
Both Don Jr.'s brother Eric and his wife, Lara, have remained politically engaged since the campaign. In comparison, Vanessa has kept a lower profile.
Trump has been under investigation for his role in potential Russian meddling in the election, after The New York Times reported in July 2017 that he met with a Russian lawyer who had told him she had damaging information about Hillary Clinton.
Trump has denied any collusion.
Source: Business Insider
Later in February, Donald Jr. said that his father's presidency was hurting his business in India, due to self-imposed restrictions.
Sources told The New York Post that Donald Jr.'s obsession with politics and frequent travels were contributing to issues in the relationship.
One source said: "Vanessa is by nature is a very low-key person, and she is uncomfortable with the attention her family is getting now the Trumps are on the world stage. She is also worried for her kids, particularly after she received the threatening letter containing the white powder."
Popular Right Now
Popular Keywords
Advertisement