Donald Trump's ex-wife starts war of words with Melania after claiming: 'I'm basically First Lady, OK?'

Melania Trump has described comments by her husband’s ex-wife as “attention seeking and self-serving noise” after Ivana Trump said she was “basically First Lady”.

Ivana, who was married to Donald Trump between 1977 and 1992, said she had a direct line to the White House but did not want to “cause any kind of jealousy”.

While promoting her new book Raising Trump, she told ABC’s Good Morning America that she was “basically first Trump wife, I’m First Lady”.

Ivana said the book is about “my life and raising my kids” and that she did not ask the president’s permission before writing it.

She said Trump approached their “divorce like a business deal that he could not lose”.

After it was finalised the pair settled into a friendship, she said. She told the show that she speaks to her ex-husband once a fortnight.

“I have the direct number to White House, but I [don’t] really want to call him there because Melania is there,” she said.

“I don’t want to cause any kind of jealousy or something like that because I’m basically first Trump wife. I’m First Lady, OK?”

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Melania Trump responded through her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham, pointing out that Ivana was making the inflammatory statements whilst promoting a book.

“Mrs Trump has made the White House a home for [their son] Barron and The President,” it read.

“She loves living in Washington, DC and is honoured by her role as First Lady of the United States. She plans to use her title and role to help children, not sell books.

“There is clearly no substance to this statement from an ex. Unfortunately only attention seeking and self-serving noise.”

Ivanka and Trump divorced in the 1990s following his affair with Marla Maples, who became his second wife between 1993 and 1999. He married Melania in 2005.

Trump had three children with Ivana (Ivanka, Donald Jr and Eric), one with Marla (Tiffany) and one with Melania (Barron).