Reports: Donald Trump Jr. and wife, Vanessa, are headed for divorce
Multiple reports say Vanessa Trump has filed for divorce from Donald Trump Jr., her husband of 12 years.
The news comes a day after unnamed sources tell The New York Post's Page Six that the couple's marriage was on the rocks.
Multiple sources who talked to Page Six earlier said that while the Trumps are not legally separated, they have been living separate lives. The tabloid published its story about the Trump marriage on Wednesday; news of the divorce filing in Manhattan Supreme Court came Thursday.
A spokesperson for Don Jr., Vanessa, and the Trump Organization declined to comment, despite numerous requests, Page Six reported.
“The problems have been there for a long time, the couple had hoped to stay together during the president’s time in office, but it is getting harder to resolve their issues," one source told the tabloid. "He’s never there.”
Divorce has left its mark on Trump's life in the past. When he was 12 he reportedly blamed his father for the failure of his parents’ 14-year marriage and didn’t speak to him for a year after the split. According to Vanity Fair, he famously told his father: “You don’t love us! You don’t even love yourself. You just love your money.”
He and Vanessa, who are both 40, married two years after they met.
Donald Sr. introduced them. He was the first to notice the pretty model, then Vanessa Haydon, at a fashion show in 2003.
She tells the story of how Trump approached her, Don in tow, and introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Donald. I wanted to introduce you to my son Donald Trump Jr.”
Awkward chit-chat followed. Then, at intermission, “Donald comes back up to me again, ‘I don’t think you’ve met my son Donald Trump Jr.,’” she recalled.
She retorted: “Yeah, we just met, five minutes ago.”
The two were married in November 2005 and now have children: daughters Kai Madison, 10, and Chloe Sophia, 3, and sons Donald John Trump III, 9, Tristan Milos, 6, and Spencer Frederick, 5.
Friends of the couple told Page Six that Vanessa is "uncomfortable" with all the attention on the Trumps.
“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," one source said. "She is also worried for her kids, particularly after she received the threatening letter containing the white powder.”
In February, Vanessa opened a letter addressed to Don Jr. and mailed to their home in Manhattan. The letter contained a threat and white powder, which prompted a trip to the emergency room. The powder was found to be non-hazardous but the incident "was terrifying for Vanessa, who is naturally worried for the safety of her children," one source said.
Meanwhile, a separate source close to the couple insisted to Page Six that, while they were having problems, they were not yet at the point of divorce: “Donald Jr. and Vanessa have been dealing with some issues, but they are not yet at the stage of filing for divorce. They are trying to deal with this privately.
“Don is still living at home, is a good dad and is super involved in his kids’ lives. He has always traveled for work, so his current schedule is not something out of the ordinary. He has a busy travel schedule now as he always does.”
But another source added, “While they are not legally separated, I cannot deny there are issues, there are a lot of intricate things that go on in a marriage. Don and Vanessa are focused on their family, they are trying to do this quietly and privately, and when they have something to say on the record, they will do so. This has nothing to do with politics, this is a personal matter between two people.”
This story was originally published March 15, 2018 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Reports: Donald Trump Jr. and wife, Vanessa, are headed for divorce."