NEWSEric Trump Recalls Late Mom Ivana 'Spanking' Him as a Kid, Says Dad Donald Was 'Strict in a Different Way'
Eric Trump looked back on how his parents, Ivana and Donald, treated him as a child.
Aug. 10 2026, Updated 12:46 p.m. ET
Eric Trump got candid about his childhood living with dad, Donald, and late mom, Ivana Trump.
The 42-year-old businessman opened up about Ivana — who died in 2022 — slapping him as a kid, while Donald, 80, disciplined him in a "different way."
Eric Trump Called His Late Mother 'Honest'
Eric Trump recalled Ivana telling him to 'get over it' quite often.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Eric recalled how his mother treated him when he would step out of line.
"She was just honest," he said. "She was just one of those women — this made me even love her more as crazy as that is — you have parents that do this sort of thing out of meanness."
Ivana and Donald Trump Married in 1977 and Divorced in 1990
Eric Trump opened up about the physical discipline he suffered at the hands of his mother, Ivana.
"She could give you the greatest hug and would love and adore you, but she could also tell you 'too effing bad. Get over it.' I heard those words all the time," Eric reminisced.
Ivana hailed from Czechoslovakia and married the POTUS in 1977, divorcing in 1990. The former couple also shares son Donald Jr., and daughter Ivanka.
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Ivana Trump was a mom to sons Eric and Donald Jr., as well as to daughter Ivanka.
"This was old-school Czech discipline," Eric remembered. "If we didn't have manners, you would have two fake nails around your throat and you felt the hand go back and forth across your face. Now that's not acceptable in our society today."
He then said Ivana "spanked the h--- out of us," adding: "As un-PC [politically correct] as it is today, I can tell you — it absolutely worked."
"She only needed to look at us and it would be serious that [the spank] was coming, we're about to get it," Eric noted.
Eric Trump Recalled Dad Donald Having 'High Expectations' for Himself and His Siblings
Ivana and Donald Trump married in 1977 and divorced 13 years later.
When Eric was asked by The Telegraph journalist if dad Donald got physical with his discipline, the father of two shook his head.
"No. He was strict in a different way and he had very high expectations of us in terms of manners, grades, achievements and not being lazy," Eric said.
The Trump Organization vice president stated Donald wanted his children to "fight for the things you want."
"There were no Ferraris at 16 years old," Eric went on.
Ivana Trump Died in 2022 at Age 73
Ivana Trump died in 2022 at the age of 73 after suffering a fall.
Ivana passed away at the age of 73 of due to blunt impact injuries to her torso after falling down a steep flight of stairs at her home in New York City.
At the time of her passing, Donald, Eric and other members of the Trump family paid tribute to the model.
Despite their split, the president shared condolences for his ex-wife just before her funeral, writing online in July 2022: "A very sad day, but at the same time a celebration of a wonderful and beautiful life. She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life."
