After months of negotiating custody agreements and finances, Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump finalized their divorce at the end of 2018, according to a joint statement they released on Friday. Trump Jr. and Vanessa had been married for more than 12 years when Vanessa filed for divorce last March, Page Six reported.
“We finalized our agreement at the end of last year,” the former couple's statement said, per Page Six. “We are incredibly lucky to have five amazing children and are committed to raising them together. Our kids and their happiness will always be our first priority.”
Trump Jr. and Vanessa have reportedly signed a confidentiality agreement to prevent details about their divorce from being made public, per Page Six. However, the Associated Press reported that their divorce switched from "uncontested" to "contested" in July, meaning that the former couple did not agree on issues like child custody and the division of marital assets. At the time, Trump Jr.'s lawyer — Norman Heller — told the AP that he expected his client and Vanessa to quickly resolve their financial conflicts.
Following a hearing in mid-November, Heller confirmed that Trump Jr. and Vanessa had "resolved most of the financial issues" between them, which prompted praise from Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Michael Katz.
“I very much would like to commend both of you for working out whatever differences you may have had regarding those issues and committing to co-parenting with each other,” Katz said during the November hearing, per Page Six. “You have prioritized your children and taken steps to shield them from what could have been an invasive litigation process. Not everyone is able to do that.”
People reported that financial matters played a significant role in Trump Jr. and Vanessa's divorce. Vanessa reportedly inherited millions of dollars from her late father due to an investment he made in Rao’s Specialty Foods, which sells a famous marinara sauce. New York City divorce attorney Raoul Felder told People that Trump Jr. could not access this inheritance during the divorce proceedings, because "third-party gifts, or money you get from third parties directly, is not included in a marital pot." That left Vanessa "absolutely secure," Felder said, and may have made her feel more prepared to file for divorce, Page Six reported.
Following his split from Vanessa last year, Trump Jr. has reportedly been dating former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, E! News reported. Back in July, Guilfoyle left the network to join America First, a pro-Trump super PAC. According to People, Vanessa expressed support for Trump Jr.'s new relationship, and asked the public to stop attacking Guilfoyle.
“We’ve been separated for over 9 months and respect each other’s decisions & privacy,” Vanessa tweeted in June. “We’ll focus on raising our great kids. Would be nice if the press did the same rather than obsess over our pvt lives!”
When Vanessa first filed for divorce back in March, her choice of attorney drew a significant amount of attention. She chose New York attorney David Feureisen — who has experience as a criminal defense lawyer — to represent her in divorce proceedings. ThinkProgress founder Judd Legum was quick to point out, however, that Feureisen “does as much civil work as criminal work and regularly handles divorce cases in New York.”
