Why did Don Jr and Vanessa Trump get divorced? Truth about former first son's infidelity and keeping ex on budget
According to claims made in 'Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service', the new book from Washington Post reporter and Pulitzer Prize-winner Carol Leonnig, former model and Donald Trump Jr’s ex-wife Vanessa got “inappropriately — and perhaps dangerously — close” to a Secret Service agent before she filed for divorce in 2018.
According to the book, the 43-year-old allegedly “started dating one of the agents who had been assigned to her family” at some point between former President Donald Trump taking office in January 2017 and him leaving the White House in January 2021.
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Leonnig claims in the book that Secret Service agents had reported the relationship between Vanessa and an unnamed agent. But the agent did not face disciplinary action because neither he nor the Secret Service was the official guardians of Vanessa at the time. Reportedly, in 2017, Trump Jr asked that he and his family have their 24-hour Secret Service protection removed because they wanted more privacy. However, the Secret Service protection was restored in less than a month.
A Secret Service spokesperson said: "The US Secret Service is aware of an upcoming book which re-hashes past challenges the agency overcame and evolved from. Now and throughout its 156-year history, the agency's skilled workforce is dedicated to the successful execution of its critical protective and investigative missions."
Why did Donald Jr and Vanessa Trump get divorced?
This shocking new revelation may just be one of the reasons behind the end of their relationship. Vanessa filed for divorce from Trump Jr in March 2018. They got married in 2005. Following their divorce filing, they said in a joint statement that they will “always have tremendous respect for each other.”
In February 2019, Trump Jr and Vanessa settled their divorce. “We finalized our agreement at the end of last year,” the former couple said in a joint statement. “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.”
Sources said that Vanessa decided to end the marriage because her ex-husband treated her “like a second-class citizen” and kept her on a tight budget — so much so, that she had to turn to her mother for financial help. One source said, “He gives her very little help and has been keeping her on a tight budget. She doesn’t live a lavish life and can very rarely pick up a check at dinner.”
A second source said, “Don Jr. was never generous with money. Vanessa has had to rely on her mother for financial help for her personal needs.”
“They were having problems before they even got married. People were telling her not to marry him before the wedding,” a source also said. “She was interviewing divorce lawyers before [Trump’s presidency]. No one thought he’d win. He won and she decided to stay until his term is over. But she just couldn’t stand it anymore.”
There were also rumors of infidelity with ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ star Aubrey O’Day claiming she had an affair with Trump Jr. A source who worked with ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ said that Trump Jr was in the shower and his phone was on the bedside table when “sexy texts” came through from O’Day. “This is how Vanessa found out and the affair ended,” the source said. “To Don Jr [the affair] was very exciting. Aubrey was very, very into Don. He liked her but she was definitely more keen on him.”