When Melania Trump tied the knot with Donald Trump in January 2005, she was marrying into a large and well-established family of people with very big personalities. From her new husband’s two politically minded eldest sons, to his two social-savvy young daughters, Melania became a stepmom to a whole slew of bombastic public figures — all before welcoming a son of her own, Barron Trump, with Donald the following year. Cultivating relationships with her stepchildren has been a big job for Melania, and one she seemingly takes very seriously.

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Sometimes, however, even the best efforts yield poor results, which seems to be the case between Melania and Ivanka Trump — Donald’s eldest daughter from his marriage to Ivana Trump. At only 11 years older than her stepdaughter, Melania has allegedly been feuding with Ivanka ever since Donald Trump first got elected president back in 2016, and their simmering feud has only gotten worse since. However, when it comes to her stepdaughter Tiffany, the relationship appears to be decidedly warmer.

While Donald might have something of a complicated relationship with Tiffany, it seems Melania and Tiffany have gotten along from the start, back when she was first dating Donald in the late ’90s. She’s even shown some connection with Tiffany’s mother — and Donald’s second wife — Marla Maples, and the two have shown that they’re genuinely okay with one another. Clearly, there’s a closeness between Melania and Tiffany that Melania doesn’t seem to share with most of her other stepchildren.

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Long before Donald Trump and Melania Trump tied the knot, the Slovenian fashion model was simply Donald’s girlfriend, and she spent time with the businessman at public events where he could show off his lovely new lady. During that time, however, it seems that Melania was getting to know Donald’s children — including his youngest daughter, Tiffany Trump, whom he shares with ex-wife Marla Maples.

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In one particularly adorable photo from the U.S. Open in 2000, just a month or so shy of her seventh birthday, Donald can be seen watching the game while a smiling Melania’s attention is entirely directed toward Tiffany. The sweet photo shows Melania playfully hugging and joking with Tiffany as the young girl beams brightly.

The photo is the clearest sign that Melania and Tiffany have always had a special bond and a warmth for one another that Melania doesn’t seem to share with some of Donald’s other kids. To be fair, Ivanka Trump was already 17 when Donald and Melania began dating, and Ivanka’s close bond to her own mom, Ivana Trump, likely meant she was inclined to keep her dad’s new gal pal at arm’s length.

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After Donald Trump and Marla Maples split in 1997 and officially got divorced in 1999, the actress moved across the country from New York to California, and she brought their daughter, Tiffany Trump, along with her. Marla has explained that the move was an effort to make sure she and her daughter — her only child with Trump — could live a life outside of his looming shadow as a businessman and celebrity.

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“She moved us out of New York to get out of the spotlight and let me grow up and find my own identity versus being in the shadow of a name or growing up very young with all that pressure,” Tiffany told People in 2016. “So, she wanted me to have a chance to have a normal childhood. As normal as possible. I think that she did well in that.”

Tiffany and her mom were always close, so there was little chance that Melania Trump would ever take that place in her heart. However, Tiffany has often celebrated Melania on social media to share kind messages with her step-mom, including a sweet b-day post in 2018, in which she captioned a photo of herself, Melania and Donald, “Happy birthday @flotus. Love you!”

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While Melania Trump has worked to foster a relationship with her stepchildren while also being an attentive mom to her own son with Donald Trump, Barron, she also appreciates the kind of role she fills as Donald’s third wife, coming into a family that was already large. “I’m their friend, I’m not their mom,” Melania told People back in 2015. “I met them when they were teenagers. I went to their high school graduations and college graduations, so we know each other for a long time.”

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In her revealing recent memoir, “Melania,”  the first lady further elaborated on her efforts to figure out how to join the family dynamic as seamlessly as possible, which meant making sure she was supportive and nurturing without expecting anything from them. “‘My approach to building relationships with Donald’s children has always been grounded in love and respect,” Melania wrote (via Daily Mail). “As their stepmother, my role is not to replace their mothers but to nurture a supportive and amicable connection.”

Melania Trump was all smiles in November 2022 when she attended Tiffany Trump’s stunning wedding to Michael Boulos at a lavish ceremony held at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Melania beamed as she celebrated the evening, and even shared some friendly exchanges with Tiffany’s mother, Marla Maples. The night before the wedding, during a rehearsal dinner, Melania posed for photos with Marla, with each standing on either side of a smiling Donald. It seems that Melania has managed to pull off the often difficult task of remaining friendly with her husband’s ex-wife.

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There was some drama on the day of the wedding, however, revolving around Melania’s choice of attire. While Tiffany’s wedding was a bit of a fashion nightmare for many in the Trump Family, Melania took some real heat. Instead of something similar to the golden gown she rocked at the rehearsal, Melania opted to rock an off-white, sort of pale peach dress that sent many online into a frenzy.

okay we’ve all talked about ‘the crop’ but has anyone said anything about Melania going full Evil Stepmother and wearing a dress that can only be described as “not white because I’m wearing a belt” pic.twitter.com/4q6HKJrFDP

— Taylor Kay Phillips (@TayKayPhillips) November 14, 2022

One critic joked on X (formerly Twitter) that Melania was “going full Evil Stepmother and wearing a dress that can only be described as ‘not white because I’m wearing a belt.'” Many felt the move was a low-key attack on Tiffany’s big day, while others pointed out that the dress wasn’t actually white at all, but cream colored. The debate regarding Melania’s intentions raged on for some time.

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