THE DIVORCE Gets Nastier
Things take an ugly turn when Donald Trump Jr. files papers ordering his estranged wife, Vanessa, to reveal the extent of her family’s fortune
Like his father, Donald Trump Jr. doesn’t like to pass up a good deal. When the Trump Organization executive vice president planned on proposing to former model Vanessa Haydon in 2004, he got a 4-carat, $100,000 diamond ring for free from a jewelry store. In a mall. In New Jersey. The only catch? He had to stage the proposal in front of the shop for a swarm of photographers. Says a friend of Vanessa’s: “He’s really cheap.”
Now that he’s divorcing, he wants to hang on to every penny. Just weeks after the wealthy scion and his wife of 12 years announced their separation, the split has taken an ugly turn. Following news reports that Vanessa’s family collected a multimillion-dollar windfall after the sale of Rao’s Specialty Foods, a company the Haydons invested in, Don Jr. — who is estimated to be worth $300 million — demanded in court on April 27 that his ex reveal her net worth. That move, used in more combative divorce proceedings, is a sign of how contentious things have become between the two. But Vanessa, 40, who shares chil- dren Kai, 11, Donald III, 9, Tristan, 6, Spencer, 5, and Chloe, 3, with Don Jr., is no wallflower — and won’t shy away from a fight with the son of the president of the United States. “She’s a tough girl,” says a friend. “You don’t want to mess with her.”
READY TO FIGHT
Vanessa earned that reputation early on. At NYC’S posh Dwight School, the daughter of the late Charles Haydon, a lawyer and investor, and Bonnie, a modeling agency owner, hung out with a fearsome crowd and even reportedly dated a member of
the street gang the Latin Kings. (Her classmates voted her Most Likely to Appear on Ricki Lake, the now-defunct talk show, and Most Likely to Get a Divorce.) Despite her wealth, pedigree and expensive address on the Upper East Side, says the source, “Vanessa was known for being really badass.”
And with Don Jr. she will fight for what she wants — namely, to continue living very comfortably. Though she designed a line of handbags called La Poshett from 2010 to 2013, Vanessa has largely been a stayat-home mom, enjoying lavish vacations in Palm Beach, Fla., and documenting her daughters’ spa treatments on social media. Says the friend, “She will definitely want to maintain her lifestyle.” (It is not known if the pair have a prenuptial agreement.) Don Jr., 40, would be wise to give her what she wants, says the friend. Vanessa may have more dirty details about her husband’s alleged 2011 affair with former Celebrity Apprentice contestant and Danity Kane singer Aubrey O’day ( left), which recently came to light. “A lot more could come out,” claims the friend. “Vanessa could make Don pay for the public embarrassment he caused her.”
But to get the money, Vanessa will likely have to agree to stay silent about Don Jr. and all things Trump. The friend says that Vanessa will “100 percent” have to sign a nondisclosure agreement as part of an eventual divorce settlement: “He’ll cover his bases.” ◼