President Donald Trump was married to his first wife, Ivana, for 13 years, but in a strange move, he decided to bury her body on his New Jersey golf course
09:00 ET, 20 Sep 2025Updated 02:18 ET, 21 Sep 2025
The couple reportedly met in New York City in 1976(Image: Getty Images)
It’s been three years since President Donald Trump buried his first wife, Ivana Trump, on the grounds of his New Jersey golf course, and this bizarre decision has once again left everyone with more questions than answers. The possible reason? A financial one.
Ivana, who died in July 2022 as a result of a fall in her Manhattan home at the age of 73, was laid to rest at the Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster, New Jersey, with no fence, flowers, or public memorial, unlike traditional gravesites. This odd move notably caught the attention of many, who believed it was a potentially clever financial move.
According to the New Jersey state tax code, any land used for cemeteries is exempt from all taxes, including real estate taxes.
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Additionally, according to Fortune, cemetery companies are excluded from paying business taxes, sales taxes, income taxes, inheritance taxes, and personal property taxes on their land.
Ivana is buried on the Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster, New Jersey(Image: Instagram)
This means that by designating even a small portion of the golf course as a burial ground, the land could qualify for tax exemptions.
The 79-year-old has been accused of choosing the golf course as Ivana’s burial site for more than just sentimental reasons many times before.
But Trump dismissed these claims and expressed his desire to be buried in the 525-acre property. “This is such beautiful land, and Bedminster is one of the richest places in the country,” he told Page Six at the time.
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According to documents made public by ProPublica, the Trump Family Trust previously applied to become a nonprofit cemetery organisation and establish a property near Hackettstown, about 20 miles from the golf course where Ivana is buried.
The Washington Post also reported that Trump specifically chose this property for his final resting place as it is his favourite.
Ivana Trump and Donald Trump were married for 13 years(Image: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
The couple reportedly met in New York City in 1976 while Ivana, a model, was in town for a fashion show. According to Ivana, who reflected on their first meeting while speaking to the New York Post in 2016, she and her friends were waiting for a table at a bar on the Upper East Side when the businessman approached her.
“[There’s] this tall blond guy with blue eyes. He said, ‘I’m Donald Trump and I see you’re looking for a table. I can help you.’ I look at my friends and said, ‘The good news is, we’re going to get a table real fast. The bad news is, this guy is going to be sitting with us,’” she recalled.
Donald ended up paying the bill and disappearing, according to Ivana, who found him sitting outside in the “driver’s seat of his own limousine” when she left the bar. “He drove us home and then we started to date,” she added..
After less than a year of dating, the pair wed in 1977. Nine months later, they welcomed their eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. then a few years later they had their daughter Ivanka in 1981, and their youngest son, Eric, in 1984.
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