Ivanka Trump cried during a podcast interview while discussing the death of her mother, Ivana Trump, and the assassination attempt on her father, President Donald Trump.

The 44-year-old spoke on the Diary of a CEO podcast about seeking mental health treatment after a difficult period. Her husband, Jared Kushner, had a second cancer surgery, and her mother died within weeks of each other in 2022.

Grief and family life

Ivanka Trump said her three children never met their grandmother. She told the podcast she would talk about her mother and start to cry.

“I wanted to make sure I’m really good at being tough,” Ivanka Trump said.

Ivana Trump, 73, was found unconscious at the bottom of the stairs in her Manhattan home and died the same day in July 2022. Ivanka Trump was living in Washington, DC, at the time.

Ivana Trump had been married to Donald Trump from 1977 to 1992. They had three children: Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric.

Ivanka Trump also spoke about her 99-year-old grandmother, Babi, who now lives with the family in Miami.

“It’s a blessing to have her in our home,” she said, “telling her stories and stories of my mother, who they sadly didn’t get to know.”

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Ivanka on Assassination attempt

Ivanka Trump described watching the July 2024 assassination attempt on her father at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in real time. A bullet grazed his ear.

“I was horrified and I was scared, and I was protective of my children,” she said.

She said she did not believe the worst outcome had happened. She saw her father at around 2am when he returned from hospital to his Bedminster estate in New Jersey.

“You can’t take things for granted in this life, and I’ve learned that in numerous ways,” Ivanka Trump added.

She said she felt no hatred toward those who tried to harm her father. A second attempt happened months later at his golf club in Florida.

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“What does that accomplish being negative towards the world?” Ivanka Trump said. “There’s a lot of sickness, and I think that forgiveness is a difficult thing, but his living was a blessing.”

Ivanka Trump has given few interviews since leaving politics in 2022. She has focused on family life while her husband works as a peace envoy in the Middle East.

Why this matters

Ivanka Trump’s comments show the personal impact of major public events on the Trump family. The death of Ivana Trump came after years of high-profile life in New York and the White House. The assassination attempts on Donald Trump happened during the 2024 campaign period.

Her decision to discuss mental health help and family priorities comes as the family remains in the public eye. Donald Trump is now president, and Jared Kushner continues work on Middle East issues. The interview marks one of her rare public appearances since 2022.