Former President Donald Trump paid respects to his first wife, Ivana Trump. He and his current wife, Melania Trump, joined his three eldest children at a funeral Mass in New York on Wednesday for their mother. Video / AP
The Trump family, including Donald Trump, were out in force in New York on Wednesday to mourn the death of Ivana Trump.
Just before the funeral of his first wife, the former President said that he was "sad" at Ivana's passing and that she was "special, outstanding, beautiful," and someone who "never fell down".
Ivana's life was celebrated at a ceremony on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Mourners looked on in the scorching 33C summer heat as the coffin, completely covered in gold, shimmered in the sun.
It was carried up the steps of St Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in one of New York's ritziest neighbourhoods.
An emotional Donald Trump stands with wife Melania outside St. Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church after the funeral of Ivana Trump. Photo / AP
Pallbearers leave with Ivana Trump's golden casket. Photo / AP
Ivana, 73, died on Thursday last week at her New York apartment from blunt force injuries to her torso that she suffered accidentally, according to New York City's chief medical examiner.
The examiner didn't have any details about exactly how she sustained her fatal injuries but made clear officials believe that her death was considered unintentional.
Trump: 'I'm feeling sad'
Donald Trump, wife Melania and sons Barron, Eric, and Donald Jr all attended the funeral ceremony, according to the New York Post. Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner were also at the ceremony.
Donald Trump arrived amid tight security from Trump Tower.
Former President Donald Trump stands with his family as the casket of Ivana Trump is placed in a hearse after her funeral. Photo / AP
The family watched as Ivana's coffin left a funeral chapel, with Donald Trump standing in front of other mourners. He was also seen comforting Ivanka.
Talking to the New York Post prior to the funeral, Trump said he was "feeling okay".
"I had some rest. A little sleep. But I'm sad.
"She was beautiful. She was special. She was outstanding. Beautiful inside and out. We began all of it, our lives together, with such a great relationship."
Former President Donald Trump leaves St. Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church with children Ivanka and Eric following the funeral for Ivana Trump. Photo / AP
He said his ex-wife's best traits was that she was "different" and "never gave up".
"No matter how rough things were or how badly they looked, she never fell down. She went from communism to our lives together. She took nothing for granted."
Columnist Cindy Adams, who took the call from Trump, said his voice was "low" and he sounded "quiet" and paused several times.
'She had brains; she had beauty'
Around 100 people attended the ceremony. The church was decorated with red roses to honour Ivana who was the mother to three of Donald's children – Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric.
The event was billed as a "celebration of life" for the fashionable Czech-born businesswoman and former competitive skier who loved her home of New York City.
Eric gave a eulogy where he praised her glamour and nous.
"She was the embodiment of the American dream … She was a force of nature.
"She ruled the three of us [kids] with an iron fist but also a heart of gold."
Donald Trump Jr., center, watches with two of his sons as the casket of his mother, Ivana Trump, is carried into St. Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church. Photo / AP
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner arrive for the funeral of Ivana Trump. Photo / AP
Ivanka also praised her mother.
"Growing up, my mother didn't tell me a woman could do anything she wanted to – she showed me," Ivanka said.
Last week, the former President posted on his new social media channel his own tribute to Ivana.
"She was a wonderful, beautiful, an amazing woman who led a great and inspirational life.
"Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric. She was so proud of them, as we were all so proud of her," he wrote on Truth Social.
"Rest In Peace, Ivana!"
The couple were married for 15 years between 1977 to 1992.
Ivana and Donald Trump at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala in 1985. Photo / Getty Images
Born in the former Czechoslovakia under communist rule, Ivana moved to Canada in the 1970s, where she briefly worked as a model.
Her first marriage was to an Austrian ski instructor, Alfred Winklmayr, which she later described as a "Cold War marriage".
According to the New York Times, the marriage allowed her to get an Austrian passport and move to Canada, however they never lived together. Their relationship was later dissolved in 1973.
Her second marriage – to the then property baron Donald Trump – was her most notable. While multiple accounts exist around how she and Trump met, the New York Times reported they were introduced at a "party in Montreal".
During their marriage, Ivana took on multiple senior, interior-design related positions for The Trump Organisation, where she was a senior executive for seven years. In 1988, she became the CEO and president of the Trump Castle Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City.
Ivana Trump, Donald Trump's first wife, in lobby of Trump Casino in Atlantic City, 1987. Photo / Getty Images
Ivana's final days
Ivana Trump spent her final days in the company of her family and out of the public spotlight, but was about to leave on her first overseas holiday in years, when she was found unconscious and unresponsive in her New York home.
She was last photographed on the streets of Manhattan's Upper East Side on June 22. She was being assisted by an aide on her way to a hair appointment.
She had been maintaining a careful, low-key lifestyle since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic. In those final photos, she and her aide were both wearing face masks.
According to her best friend, Nikki Haskell, Ivana was "totally locked down" throughout the pandemic and "wouldn't go anywhere".
Tragically, she died one day before flying out for her first holiday since Covid began, to Saint-Tropez in France.
