Why The Judge In Donald Jr. & Vanessa Trump's Divorce Commended The Former Couple

When Vanessa Trump moved to end her marriage from Donald Trump Jr., an alleged affair with singer Aubrey O'Day was just one reason she chose to get divorced. The fallout was reportedly tense, with Vanessa allegedly confronting O'Day in a heated phone call before she separated from Donald Jr. Finding out about his cheating could have led to a tense legal battle. However, it appears that their March 2018 divorce filing was amicable, with the former couple sharing in a statement to People, "We will always have tremendous respect for each other and our families." Even a judge presiding over their split commended the couple on how they handled their affairs.

By July 2018, Donald Jr. and Vanessa made strides in regards to the custody of their five children: Kai, Donald III, Tristan, Spencer and Chloe. The pair worked out care for their kids outside the courtroom, something State Supreme Court Justice Michael Katz praised them for. "I congratulate you for working those things out," he told them (via USA Today) before acknowledging that Donald Jr. and Vanessa were blocking their kids from a potentially nasty situation. The two put on a united front for the sake of their kids, even coming together for family outings as the divorce proceedings took place.

Before the paperwork was finalized in February 2019, Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa seemed intent on giving their children a sense of normalcy. One month after she moved to leave her marriage for good, Vanessa joined Donald Jr. at the White House for the Easter Egg youth event. When Father's Day rolled around months later in June 2018, she took to Twitter to pay homage to the doting dad. The former model uploaded a photo of Donald Jr. with their kids, writing in part, "Hope you had an incredible day with our kiddies." The public support for one another didn't stop there, continuing into the holiday season.

In December 2018, the exes spent Christmas together at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. The Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization shared several images on Instagram with Vanessa and the children. One showed them posing in front of a large decorated tree, while another showed them shortly after gift openings with their kids. In addition to putting up a united front for their children, Vanessa also stood up for Donald Jr.'s new girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Vanessa Trump and Donald Trump Jr. may have had some serious issues in their personal life, but that has not stopped her from wishing him well when he began dating again. She even stood up for Kimberly Guilfoyle early in her relationship with Donald Jr. when people were criticizing the former Fox News correspondent for dating President Trump's son. In a now-deleted June 2018 tweet, Vanessa wrote, "The lengths people will go to attack a woman simply because she's dating Don. We've been separated for over 9 months and respect each other's decisions & privacy. We'll focus on raising our great kids. Would be nice if the press did the same rather than obsess over our pvt lives" (via Daily Mail).

Vanessa was rumored to have moved on to a Secret Service agent shortly after her divorce. However, she has neither confirmed nor denied these claims. Instead, it seems that she is focused on keeping that part of her life private as she displays positive co-parenting practices with her ex.