KEY POINTS

  • Ivana, Trump's first wife, appeared in an interview with British talk show "Loose Women"
  • The 71-year-old said she believes daughter Ivanka could be the country's first female president
  • During the interview, she also suggested that immigrants 'steal and rape women'

Ivana Trump, an ex-wife of President Donald Trump, said she believes their daughter Ivanka could be the first female U.S. president.

The Czech-American businesswoman appeared on the British daytime talk show “Loose Women” on Monday, where she gave an interview about the president, Ivanka, immigration, and First Lady Melania Trump, The Hill reported.

When Ivana was asked if she thinks her daughter could take office, Ivana responded: “Definitely.”

"She's in the White House every day. She's next to her father every day. She knows all what is going around," the 71-year-old said of her 38-year-old daughter, who currently serves as one of Trump’s top advisers.

According to the White House's website, Ivanka Trump graduated from the Wharton School of Business in 2004. She went to work alongside her father at the Trump Organization where she oversaw development and acquisitions.

She founded a namesake lifestyle brand that sold moderately priced wardrobe basics, but closed it 17 months after starting her work as Trump's advisor. Her focus in on education and economic empowerment of women, including workforce development, skills training, and entrepreneurship.

President Trump has floated his daughter’s name as a future presidential pick during a reelection campaign in August. He also said the first female president in the U.S. should not be Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

The president’s ex-wife also caused outrage after suggesting that immigrants “do not get jobs” and “steal and rape women.”

“I am an immigrant, but they have to come to the country legally, they have to get a job, they have to pay taxes like the rest of Americans... A lot of people don't dress even American, they dress whatever they dress in,” she said. “And they don't get a job and they steal and they rape the women. That's not our idea.”

Jane Moore, one of the hosts of the British TV show, responded by telling Ivana that many people would find her statement quite offensive.

“Do you not understand some people just want a better life?” she asked Ivana. “How you describe them is quite inhumane."

Ivana, who is a former model and businesswoman, was the president’s first wife. She grew up in Czechoslovakia (now Chechia) and migrated to Canada in 1973 with her first husband, Alfred Winklmayr. According to Newsweek, the former model met Trump in 1976 when they both attended a modeling event in New York City.

The pair got married in 1977 and had three children together—Donald Trump Jr. in 1977, Ivanka Trump in 1981, and Eric Trump in 1984. During their marriage, Ivana worked as the Vice President of interior design in the Trump organization. She later served as the president of her ex-husband's casino in Atlantic City and the Plaza Hotel.

They were involved in a high-profile divorce in 1992, but say they are now on friendly terms. Shortly after their highly publicized divorce, Ivana established herself as an independent businesswoman. She became an author and launched branded perfumes, clothes, and jewelry. She also appeared in various TV shows, including a cameo in the First Wives Club and a surprise appearance in the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars.

Ivana Trump
Donald Trump's first wife, Ivana Trump, shown here in New York in 2015, said recently that she thinks the president misses his old life. Getty Images