Donald Trump Has Always Made His Wives Sign a Prenup (But Their Mileage Varies)

It might be time for Donald Trump’s lawyers to dust off the prenuptial agreement he signed with his wife Melania Trump. Divorce rumors are swirling around the first couple, especially with the news of porn star Stormy Daniels’ affair with the current President.

But what might Melania get if she moves out of the White House and divorces her high-powered husband? We can look to Donald’s marriage history for answers. The 71-year-old has been wed twice before — marrying Ivana Zelníčková before divorcing her in 1992 and marrying Maria Maples in 1993 before divorcing her in 1999.

As you might imagine, Donald signed prenups with all three of his wives. “A prenup is an ugly instrument, but they’d better have one,” he told New York magazine in 2002, per the Chicago Tribune. “If I didn’t have mine, I would not own all these beautiful buildings.”

Donald echoed those statements in an interview with the magazine four years later. “It’s a hard, painful, ugly tool,” he said of prenups. “Believe me, there’s nothing fun about it. But there comes a time when you have to say, ‘Darling, I think you’re magnificent, and I care for you deeply, but if things don’t work out, this is what you’re going to get.’”

He even told the magazine he thought his prenup with Melania made their marriage stronger, explaining that how well a couple weathers that legal process is an indication of how well their marriage will work.

That said, both of his ex-wives tried contesting their prenups, and both were unsuccessful. Ivana made out much better than Marla, though. Her prenup with Donald ensured he would pay her $14 million in cash, $350,000 of annual alimony, and $300,000 each year for child support for their three children. She also got a Trump Plaza apartment in New York City and the couple’s mansion in Greenwich, CT.

“I wish Ivana the best,” the real estate developer said in a statement. “I have no doubt that she will do very well in the years to come.”

When the Don broke up with Marla in 1997, he did so just weeks before the four-year anniversary that would have upped her divorce settlement. Therefore, she only got $2 million — as well as undisclosed child support payments for their daughter — when their lengthy court battle ended in 1999.

“After giving Donald two years to honor the verbal commitments he made to me during our 12-year relationship, I decided to walk away completely under the terms of our prenuptial agreement that had been placed before me just five days before our 1993 wedding,” she said, per the Daily News.

“I wish Marla well,” Trump said in his own statement. “I’m glad it worked out so amicably.” (Sarcasm much? Was he trolling her?)

Now, divorce lawyers are abuzz about a possible split between Donald and Melania. “We love talking about it,” one recently told Town & Country. “What’s in the prenup? Did it get renegotiated during the campaign, or after he won? How would a split play out? … It’s irresistible conversational fodder.”

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Lawyers quoted in Town & Country even speculated on what might happen in the event of a divorce at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. They said Melania would likely get some real estate out of the breakup, all the jewelry he’s given her, primary custody of son Barron. And though it’s difficult to get a prenup overturned in the state of New York, these lawyers said the moneyed spouse will often pay above and beyond the terms of the agreement to keep the divorce proceedings out of the press.

Plus, Melania has been married to the Commander-in-Chief for 13 years now. So if we had to guess, we’d say she’d probably make out like more like an Ivana than a Marla.