Inside Tiffany And Ivanka Trump's Relationship

What's it like inside Tiffany and Ivanka Trump's relationship? Plenty of celebrity sisters have been known to stir up quite a lot of attention from the public and the media. Whether it's the Olsen twins or the Kardashian-Jenner sisters, these famous siblings have consistently provided plenty of intrigue for fans. 

The Trump sisters are no exception. Since entering the White House, Ivanka and Tiffany have found themselves in the spotlight at pretty much every point. Whether they're promoting their father's presidential campaign or advocating for one of their own career goals, these half-sisters have stayed pretty busy.

Still, plenty of folks are curious about Ivanka and Tiffany's real relationship. Have you ever wondered what Ivanka really thinks of Tiffany, or if there's any bad-blood between the sisters? Did Tiffany enjoy the same kind of upbringing that her sister did? Is Ivanka really her father's favorite child? Well wonder no more, because we're taking a deep dive inside Tiffany and Ivanka Trump's relationship.

Anyone with an older sister can tell you that she will give you advice, whether you ask for it or not. And it looks as though Ivanka Trump really got the memo, because she has advised her little sister on just about everything, as noted by Vanity Fair. A friend of the sisters told the magazine that Ivanka shares her thoughts with Tiffany Trump — who's undergone a stunning transformation — on a variety of topics, ranging from "politics advice, boy advice, and sisterly advice." Sounds like a lot of advice if you ask us. 

But according to the source, Ivanka also shares her thoughts on Tiffany's wardrobe, etiquette, and public life. Specifically, Ivanka has advised Tiffany on what colors work best for her wardrobe, and how to sit with her legs crossed like a lady. 

The source said it best — Ivanka has shared "all the things she picked up from being famous" with Tiffany. Tiffany was even spotted in 2016 shopping at high-end department store Bloomingdales (with her Secret Service detail), where she bought a lipstick that Ivanka had recommended to her. 

Most sisters have tension between them, naturally. But according to Donald Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, Ivanka Trump treats her only sister with "casual cruelty." Yikes. In his tell-all book, Disloyal: A Memoir, Cohen wrote that Ivanka has always treated Tiffany Trump badly, as she "jealously guarded her position as Trump's favorite and surrogate, even at the expense of her vulnerable younger sister." For the curious, here's the truth about Ivanka Trump's relationship with her father.

Cohen further divulged that he had sympathy for the younger Trump sister. "The pecking order of the kids was painfully apparent," he wrote. "Trump was very specific about his views on the importance of female beauty in measuring the value of women, including inside his own family." 

Cohen also recounted an interaction between Ivanka and Donald, during which they openly spoke about Tiffany's appearance — and how she isn't as attractive as Ivanka. "She just doesn't have the look is the right way to say it, Daddy," Ivanka reportedly said. Maybe being an only child has its perks after all.

Maybe there is some bad blood between Tiffany and Ivanka Trump, after all, because it came to the surface in 2017 that Ivanka had once tried to cut Tiffany out of her inheritance. Newsweek got their hands on a recording of Donald Trump on The Howard Stern Show in December 2005, where he disclosed that two of his children, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr., were trying to "bump off a child" from inheriting part of the family money. 

Stern's co-host, Robin Quivers, asked The Donald, "Do your older children get nervous every time you have another child?" Trump responded in the most Trump-like way possible. "Tiffany is great. I have a great child. And Tiffany, I have great children," he said, before adding, "Well, you know, it does cut up the pie as you keep producing." 

Donald has five children with three different mothers, and Tiffany is the only child he had with his second wife, Marla Maples. Perhaps her childhood out in California, separated from her half-siblings, added to the animosity between them. All we know is that this is definitely awkward.

Divorce can be difficult for the children involved, and Ivanka Trump was no exception to this. According to The Guardian, after cheating allegations, Donald Trump and his first wife Ivana Trump divorced in 1992, when Ivanka was only 8 years old. Donald then married the woman he cheated with, Marla Maples, and became a father to Tiffany Trump in 1993. They then got divorced in 1999, as noted by People. So there's a lot of family drama going on here.

However, in a 2016 interview with People, Ivanka spoke kindly about her relationship with Tiffany, despite the tension between their parents. "We would see each other on all of the holidays and talk to each other frequently," Ivanka revealed. "I've been close to Tiffany her whole life, and I really love her." 

But when it comes to Tiffany's mom, Ivanka is a lot less chipper. When asked if she was at all close with Maples, Ivanka was clear: "I'm not," she said. "She was out in California and really my relationship is with Tiffany."

This awkward holiday exchange between Tiffany and Ivanka Trump didn't go unnoticed. While celebrating the official turkey pardon during Thanksgiving at the White House in 2017, Ivanka's body language was stiff and tense. Patti Wood, a body language expert, reviewed the interaction; she shared her thoughts with Refinery29, saying the moment highlights the difference between Ivanka and Tiffany's personalities. "Ivanka is standing very upright and being very formal. Her smile is very small, even though there's this huge turkey right there," Wood observed. 

Her sister, on the other hand, reacted much differently. "Tiffany looks like she's going, 'Holy heck, I'm petting a turkey! Do you want to pet the turkey?' She's looking at Ivanka to share this fun, playful, crazy thing that's happening."

The eldest Trump sister certainly looked less than eager to engage, because as Wood pointed out, she continued to stand calmly, like she "could be at a formal wedding." "There's nothing in their body language that says they are responding to Tiffany or the turkey," Wood concluded.

It's no secret how involved Ivanka Trump is in her father's presidential administration. She campaigned for him in 2016, helped him navigate the Access Hollywood scandal, and continuously spoke to his volunteers to boost political spirits (via The New York Times.) So when Donald Trump snatched the presidency, naturally Ivanka was right there with him. Along with her two brothers, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, Ivanka was part of her father's White House transition team. But who was excluded, you might ask? Tiffany Trump, of course. 

While appearing on 60 Minutes, Tiffany said, "I don't think we can really prepare for our father becoming president. But we were all there together with everyone that's worked so hard."

However, Tiffany wasn't actually there together with her siblings, including Ivanka, on Donald's transition team. And unlike Tiffany, Ivanka has stayed particularly close to The Donald since he's been in office, showing how different the two sisters are from one another.

The age gap between Tiffany and Ivanka Trump isn't the only difference between the sisters. Growing up, they both had very different lives, as well as relationships with their father — some things never change, really. 

Ivanka grew up in Manhattan, as noted by Vanity Fair, in a lavender colored bedroom in Trump Tower; the view from her 68th floor window was of Central Park. She went to movie premieres with her father, vacationed at Mar-a-Lago, and attended high-society events in Manhattan. Photos of her childhood (via Time) show a young woman enjoying the spoils of elite life. 

By contrast, Tiffany wasn't privy to such luxury. Raised in California to an all-but single mother, Tiffany didn't get nearly as much time with her father, nor did she enjoy the same lavish lifestyle. In fact, at one point Tiffany was given a budget from her father of $500 per month, according to a friend. The source also divulged that Tiffany would stress over the very small details of splitting a bill for dinner, "down to the penny." This is how much Tiffany Trump is really worth.

While we love a cute social media moment that celebrates the bond between siblings, the Tiffany and Ivanka Trump missed the mark with this one. The photo in question, which Ivanka posted on her Instagram page in 2016, shows Ivanka and Tiffany standing side-by-side, their arms around each other's waist and shoulders, respectively.

However, if you dig deeper, you can get some pretty interesting insight into the sisters' relationship. Body language expert Patti Wood broke down the post for Refinery29. "While their body language in this photo says 'we're close,' the tension is there for both of them," Wood said. "They're leaning their torsos away from one another, and the smiles look forced." 

Wood did note that the sisters' arms around each other is a good sign, as they don't share that kind of physical contact in photos often. "But the pulling back and stiff smiles say they're not super-comfortable with this," she concluded, pointing to potential conflict between the half-siblings.

When Tiffany Trump was just a tiny baby, tension was already rising between the Ivana Trump kids and Marla Maples side of the family. When Tiffany was only two months old, Donald Trump married Maples — but Ivanka and her two brothers didn't attend the wedding ceremony, according to Vanity Fair. Even after Donald's divorce from Maples in 1999, there was tension between Ivanka and Tiffany's mom. 

The tabloids covering the scandal even followed Ivanka while she was exiting school one day, and tried to get her to comment on Donald's claim that Maples was a good lover. "What type of person would ask a nine-year-old girl that kind of question?" she later said of the situation. 

Because of all that pent up tension, Ivanka's relationship with Tiffany suffered. Talk about family drama.

Well this is uncomfortable. In an attempt to wish her little sister a happy birthday on social media in October 2020, Ivanka Trump tagged the wrong Tiffany Trump. Instead of tagging her sister's real Twitter account, Ivanka tagged a bot account with no tweets. That's definitely an awkward Ivanka Trump moment captured by millions.

The actual post itself was quite sweet — it featured a photo of a teenaged Ivanka holding Tiffany as a small child. "Hope this year marks your best turn yet around the sun! Love you so much," she wrote in the caption. Nice, right? 

Well, the internet picked up pretty quickly that Ivanka hadn't looked to see if she had tagged the right Tiffany, and had a field day because of it. "Instead of saying it on Twitter and tagging an unused account, you, I don't know, call her and tell her?" one user commented. "You tagged the wrong Tiffany. What a big sister," wrote another. The mistake clearly wasn't brought to Ivanka's attention, because the birthday tweet with the wrong Tiffany tagged remains on her account.

Due to her days in the Manhattan fashion scene, Ivanka Trump was able to help Tiffany Trump in her career pursuits. In the summer of 2011, Tiffany interned at fashion magazine Vogue, thanks in part to her older sister's connections — talk about scoring big on the career scene! 

But the Trump name and reputation didn't always help Tiffany during her college years, as it's benefitted Ivanka throughout her life. In her first year of undergrad at the University of Pennsylvania, Tiffany was ousted from the recruiting process for the Tabard Society, a secret society at the university with unmatched connections. At the time, Donald Trump was knee-deep in his birtherism campaign against then-President Barack Obama, and the society was fearful of the repercussions of having a Trump in their ranks. According to a member who spoke to Vanity Fair, the society was "fearful that the presence of a Trump might scare off the kind of presentable and connected young women that Tabard has typically attracted."

The Trump sisters may have some pretty stark differences, but if there's one setting where they work well together, it's promoting the Trump Organization. According to Vanity Fair, the Trump brand has been "a defining aspect of their lives," and nothing was on display more than that when Ivanka and Tiffany Trump joined forces during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Trump international Hotel in 2016. Pictured together enjoying a very genuine laugh, the sisters looked as natural as they ever had. 

Body language expert Patti Wood broke down the moment for Refinery29. "I really like how their upper arms and shoulders are touching intimately," Wood said. "Both of them have their attention in other places, but they're still sharing a moment of amusement." Wood went on to say that she sees similar body language shared between celebrity couples — that when a moment of enjoyment arises, they lean in towards each other as a way to share the situation. Speaking of the Trump sisters, she said "they're sharing a laugh naturally here; it's not posed like some of their other photos."

One of the worst kept secrets about the Trump sisters is their father's tendency to play favorites. A close source to Tiffany Trump told People in 2017 that, "Tiffany and her father have sometimes gone for months without speaking and she went a very long time without seeing him." The source added that Tiffany did not feel welcome at the last Trump family function. This is in direct opposition to Ivanka Trump's relationship with their father, who has often been deemed Donald Trump's favorite, as noted by Vanity Fair. 

But the politics of the sisters' relationship with their father and each other got heated in 2019, when Donald's personal assistant was fired for saying she "had a better relationship with Trump than his own daughters," as reported by Politico. 

A person close to the situation also said that the former assistant revealed Donald didn't like to be photographed with his youngest daughter either, because "he perceived her as overweight." The situation quickly had the president on the defense, and he later announced that his assistant had been fired. "I love Tiffany," he said. Ok.

College graduation is a big deal, so when Tiffany Trump finished her degree, it wasn't lost on Ivanka Trump, who's undergone a stunning transformation. Tiffany celebrated graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016 with an Instagram photo of her and her sister, Tiffany in her cap and Ivanka giving her a kiss on the cheek. It was, by most accounts, a kind gesture. 

However, body language expert Patti Wood broke down the exchange for Refinery29, and by her assessment, the celebration wasn't nearly as cheery as it was meant to appear. "This photo, from Tiffany's college graduation, seems more staged and tense than some of the others," Wood said. "Ivanka is doing that kiss she always does, which is a very posed, puckered lip." She added that you may be tempted to think that Tiffany's smile is legit, but it's too tense to be genuine.

Wood also noted that Tiffany is looking down and away from the camera. "If you're really happy, you'd be looking towards the person who's kissing you or upwards," she concluded.