Rumored Rivals Melania & Ivanka Have One Thing In Common (& It Involves Trump)

Not long after Donald Trump stepped into the Oval Office in January 2017, he turned to Twitter (now X) to broadcast promises, challenge claims, and share controversial anecdotes. Through this platform, the world had a front-row seat to the President's unfiltered thoughts, as he tweeted frequently from his personal account rather than an official government handle. The reactions varied, with many being concerned about his fitness to run the country based on the compulsive notes he published. This left many members of his administration and his family, including his daughter and wife, weary of the President's twitter fingers.

Reince Priebus, who served as Trump's chief of staff for a few months, told author Chris Whipple that Ivanka and Melania — whose body language tells how they feel about each other — attempted to reduce his screen time on Twitter, but they were unsuccessful. "Everybody tried at different times to cool down the Twitter habit — but no one could do it. "Not me, Jared, Ivanka ..." Priebus told Whipple (via People). Melania reportedly put her foot down on the tweeting, but the power that came with having a ring on her finger was not enough to keep the Donald from doing exactly what he wanted. In 2017, American broadcasters and others urged Ivanka and Melania to condemn Trump's sexist tweets about women's appearances, highlighting their stances on cyberbullying prevention and women's empowerment, but there were no public statements from either of them.

Donald Trump was finally banned from Twitter following the U.S. Capitol riots on January 6, as the platform aimed to prevent the incitement of more violence. At the time of the ban, neither Ivanka nor Melania Trump publicized their opinions despite disliking Trump's previous Twitter habits. In response to the ban, Donald created his own social platform, Truth Social, where he could freely publish his thoughts, though he later regained access to Twitter in 2022 when Elon Musk, who Donald now has a major bromance with, bought it.  

Though Ivanka and Melania were a united front about the Donald's Twitter use, the two have a strained relationship. The estrangement between the ladies reportedly stems from not being able to share the First Lady's responsibilities, though they rightfully belonged to Melania. Reports indicate that Ivanka hoped for an equal share in the role, per Donald's suggestion, but Melania did not agree. "If [Melania] ever waged a battle over the issue, it is one she clearly lost: For four years, it was hard to see where the operations of the family business stopped and the Trump administration started," author Katie Rogers wrote in "American Woman: The Transformation of the Modern First Lady, from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden."

Melania has resumed First Lady responsibilities during her husband's second term as President, which began in January 2025, while Ivanka has decided not to be anywhere near her father's administration this time around.